


Correspondence

by Watermelonsmellinfellon



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Childhood Friends, Dancing Lessons, Emails, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Experienced Victor, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up, Humor, Ice Dancing to Sailor Moon, Letters, M/M, Rating May Change, Teen AU, Teen Victuuri, sort of, teens to adults
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-26
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-09-20 03:10:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9472847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Watermelonsmellinfellon/pseuds/Watermelonsmellinfellon
Summary: Victor Nikiforov agreeing to partner with Penned Pals for a season, had to be the best decision of his and Katsuki Yuuri's lives. It brought them together after all.A/N: Updates on hiatus, in case the whiners couldn't tell.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> -The letters fic no one asked for.
> 
> -Amidst this fic you'll encounter strange phrases. As a celebration for reaching 4,000 Tumblr followers, I accepted 10 random phrases from some people to put in this fic.
> 
> -They start off as teens and get older as time passes. Fluff and cute shit.
> 
> -The YouTuber who I got the list of translated phrases from is linked. Also, how to pronounce Japanese Rs is linked.
> 
> -Formatting those letters was hell. Nothing would stick!

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Yuri on Ice.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

  ****

[LINK to the DeviantArt!](http://whatthe18.deviantart.com/art/Correspondence-Cover-Art-673786996?ga_submit_new=10%3A1491710781)

* * *

 

 

"Yuuri! Yuuri, guess what I just found out? You'll never believe it!"

The young teen stared at his friend Yuuko as she came bounding across the school yard, a colorful magazine held tightly in her hand. Her face was open, showing off a wide smile.

He could see Victor Nikiforov's face on the cover and knew that he was about to be pulled into more than he was ready for. Not that he minded if it involved Victor Nikiforov. Anything was worth it then.

"Victor Nikiforov has partnered with Penned Pals! It's an international group dedicated to connecting fans to their idols! Everyone and anyone is invited to send a letter to Victor and he has agreed to send each person one reply in return! So long as it follows the rules of course. Imagine having something addressed to you from Victor Nikiforov himself!"

Yuuri looked down at the book that had been shoved in his hands. Victor Nikiforov was posing on the front, an arm wrapped around his current poodle. There was a wide smile on his face. Beside his photo, was a quote by him personally.

**"I look forward to reading your letters!"**

"Victor is accepting letters in Russian, English, French, and Portuguese!" crowed Yuuko, bouncing up and down, she bag slamming into her legs repeatedly. "He speaks and reads so many languages at his age, it's amazing! We can practice our English in our letters!"

" _'Our letters'_?!" Yuuri screamed in response, feeling lightheaded. She was insinuating that he and she were both going to...

"Don't you want to send him a letter, Yuuri? Maybe thank him for inspiring you to skate competitively or something? It would be fun! And he's contractually obligated to write you back! You'll have something written and signed by Victor personally! You'll literally have a gift from him and you can laminate it and put it up on the wall!"

Okay, that part was actually nice to consider. To have something that touched Victor Nikiforov's hands personally would be nice. And while it kind of sounded creepy, he didn't care. He wanted to do it!

"But what would I write about?" he asked, the nervousness growing. He wasn't exactly the most outgoing person int he world after all. "I don't want my letter to be exactly like others who will no doubt call him perfect and go on and on about how much they admire him. I want to be different."

"Your letter is from you, Yuuri. Talk about what is important to you. I've already decided to talk about Ice Castle and I want to tell him that I've gotten my best friends into skating and watching any competitions we can. I might brag about you without naming you of course," Yuuko said with a wink and a giggle.

Yuuko smiled brightly as she patted his shoulder. "Anything will be fine, Yuuri. You just be you and everything will be fine."

Yuuri found himself staring down at the list of steps to follow, considering his future actions.

* * *

**-Your letter can be as long as you want it to be. There is no word limit.**

**-You will send your letter to the P.O. box provided below. We will make certain that Mr. Nikiforov receives your letter.**

**-Each letter will be X-Rayed. Do not place any blades, plants, powders, or strange objects within the envelope.(A list below further explains this.)**

**-Crass language should be kept to a minimum if you can manage. It is unprofessional and leaves a bad mark on you personally.**

**-Please refrain from sending death threats.**

**-Death threats - should they be included - will be returned to us and we will have your name blacklisted. We will then contact the law enforcement of your area code and notify them of your actions.**

**-There are to be no sexual advances, ideas, thoughts, or plots, written out.**

**-Any of the above will be returned to us and you will be blacklisted.**

**-Do not attempt to sell anything to Mr. Nikiforov.**

**-If the above is done, your letter will be returned to us and you will be blacklisted.**

**-Failure to comply with the rules will result in you not receiving a reply from Mr. Nikiforov.**

* * *

Yuuri found himself sitting at his desk, trying to think about what he should write.

Yuuko's advice was ringing in his head, and he was still unsure of what to do. What described him the best? What did he love? And how could he word it in a way that would keep Victor's interest?

"Why don't you just write about what you like?" said Mari from his bedroom door. She'd unfortunately been stuck watching him panic for like a week over the letter. "Draw him a few pictures, or write him a poem. Teach him some Japanese phrases for when he competes here and meets fans. Nothing can really be wrong as it's your letter and someone else's."

Honestly, Mari was a hero.

"Thanks!"

His letter was going to be long and detailed.

He just hoped that it didn't come across as annoying.

* * *

Victor Nikiforov sighed as he went through another few letters. He hadn't thought that there would be so many, but he had really underestimated his fanbase and was completely blown away by the responses to his partnership.

It was only for the season, but his fans had really given the deal their all.

Some fans were strange.

' _I lick lollipops in place of you,_ ' was probably the creepiest thing he'd read thus far. Followed by, ' _My mind is where the wild things are. It's you. You're the wild thing._ ' Those were both from the same letter. And while it wasn't explicitly sexual, he hadn't been comfortable responding to it, so he had to send it back to Penned Pals.

Other fans were funny though, so that more than made up for it!

From his favorite movie, someone had ended their letter with the phrase, ' _Then I can be the primi ballerini of the Moscow ballini!'_. It was a mafia centered movie, American of course. Where the boss' son wanted to be a figure skater, but he didn't fully understand what it meant to be one. It was a comedy first and foremost.

He even got rickrolled on paper! ' _Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna turn around and hurt you._ ' He'd laughed at that one though.

Victor had decided to have all of his replies typed because all that writing would kill his fingers and would have taken forever. He'd even hired someone to type for him while he dictated his responses. It simply went faster that way. He then signed all of the letters at the bottom.

The woman who was helping him today was named Maria, and she typed one hundred and twenty-four words a minute! She was a life saver.

"You have one more letter in this pile," the young woman said, holding up a large, yellow envelope that was larger than the others. A lot larger.

Larger and heavier too, he realized when he took it. He could probably knock someone unconscious with it.

It had to have cost a lot of money to send judging by all the postage stamps on it.

"It's from Japan!" he exclaimed once he read the address.

He'd recognize the little red sun anywhere. He'd gotten a few letters from Japan already.

When he opened the package, he found himself holding a very thickly folded collection of papers, and some loose papers beneath them.

"This… is going to take awhile."

He hadn't expected someone to go to this much trouble all for a letter.

A handwritten letter at that.

* * *

**Hello!**

**-**

**I recognize that this isn't the standard way to begin a letter, but as you like surprises,**

**I thought doing my letter differently than others, would be more interesting.**

**My name is 勝生 勇利 (Katsuki Yuuri). Katsuki is my family name, or my surname as**

**westerners call it. Yuuri is my given name. The double U is pronounced twice as long as a singular U.**

**-**

**I am sixteen years old and have been a fan of yours since I was ten, when my friend forced**

**me to stay at the rink after hours in order to watch your first Junior Grand Prix Final**

**performance in Slovenia. Your Short Program was to the instrumental remix of**

**'Я сошла с ума'(Ya Soshla S Uma) and you had only Triple jumps in your routine.**

**-**

**I have never seen anyone skate the way you had before. I'd watched enough competitions**

**with my friend to know my way around what competitions are like for Juniors, and you were**

**probably the most daring and enthralling skater I had ever seen. While my friend jumped and**

**screamed about how amazing you were, I couldn't look away until you had finished. I then**

**watched it again because I couldn't help myself.**

**-**

**I came to a realization that day. I wanted to do that. I wanted to be like that. At the time,**

**I had only been skating for nearly four years, doing ballet for six. I'd only performed in a few**

**dance competitions but hadn't dared think I could do so for skating. And then you stepped**

**on the ice and did so amazing that I realized I wanted to do it too.**

**-**

**You must realize how hard it is to train on your own without a skating coach. In a small town**

**like the one I live in, we don't have much. My ballet instructor is the only dance teacher this**

**town as to offer. She's good though. A recipient of the Benois de la Danse even. She comes to the**

**rink with me and runs me through the ringer, using her own knowledge of skating to help me.**

**-**

**She's been my coach, as she choreographs my routines and works through everything with me.**

**I remember the day I told her I wanted to be like you and compete internationally. She didn't laugh**

**at me or tell me it was impossible. She simply nodded and told me that practice would get a lot harder**

**from then on and that I had better be prepared to give all of myself to the ice. As I had chosen skating**

**over ballet as my career path, I really had to dedicate myself.**

**-**

**"The only people who succeed are those willing to be reborn as many times as necessary."**

**She would quote it all the time. Something she learned from her senpai, Lilia Baranovskaya.**

**Yes, my ballet instructor took classes with Lilia Baranovskaya of the Bolshoi Ballet. That means**

**she's at least forty-five years old and I don't know how to handle that. She looks really young!**

**-**

**Anyway, I am currently restricted to competing in Juniors and can't really branch out until I**

**get a proper coach who can truly help me. Though I have gotten to compete in the Japan Junior**

**Nationals and was awarded Bronze both times.**

**-**

**As I outlined what I wanted to write in this letter, I realized that I got this far because you inspired me.**

**And that this was my chance to explain to you how amazing you are to me personally. My friend didn't**

**realize what she got me into when she made me watch you perform, but it's like you single-handedly**

**helped me decide what I wanted to do with my life.**

**-**

**Thank you for the never-ending chain of surprises you've gifted the skating world with. I always**

**find myself trying to get better because I want to skate like you. With you. Some day I'll make**

**it to the same ice as you, and I want to amaze you like how you amaze me. As a way to thank you**

**properly.**

**-**

**Now that the sappy part of the letter is over with, I decided I wanted to give you a little crash course**

**in Japanese. In the future, you're going to find yourself competing here and as you continue furthering**

**your career, your fanbase will only grow. Being able to greet your fans in their own language would be nice.**

**Also, getting around would be useful.**

**-**

**So I'll give you easy, English pronunciations instead of official ones. Since English is your second language,**

**this should be easier for you to understand. I haven't actually completed my English classes yet, so I'm not that**

**knowledgeable in their grammar structure yet. Sorry.**

(Remember: [You have to pronounce the Rs until they sound like an R, D, and L mixture.](https://youtu.be/6-ERE23YP88?list=LLuPHC6YThL1eE3oUUtHgWpA)

We do not pronounce Rs the way westerners do.

So we don't sound like pirates when we pronounce the R sound.

We also don't trill them.

Try quickly tapping your tongue against the roof of your mouth when pronouncing the Rs.

Like you would for the English D.)

[(A/N: YouTube video for below list.)](https://youtu.be/n6ciMT6KhVo?list=LLuPHC6YThL1eE3oUUtHgWpA)

Hello **= Konnichiwa.**

  * **English pronunciation =** Cone-Knee-Chee-Wah



Goodbye **= Sayonara**

  * **English pronunciation =** Sah-Yo-Na'ra



Excuse me:

**(If you want someone's attention.) = sumimasen(this is the most common version)**

  * **English pronunciation =** soo-me-mah-sen



**(If you are trying to get by someone.) - gomennasai(it's apologetic in a sense)**

  * **English pronunciation =** go-men-nah-sie(sie is pronounced like pie)



I'm sorry **= gomenasai or gomen**

  * **English pronunciation =** (^above pronunciation^)



Please:

**1\. The most common one for provided services or a favor is = onegai shimasu(shimasu makes it formal)**

  * **English pronunciation =** oh-neh-guy she-mas



**2\. When ordering/purchasing something = kudasai**

  * **English pronunciation =** koo-dah-sie



Thank you **= arigato**

  * **English pronunciation =** ah-'ree-gah-toe



Good morning **= ohayou**

  * **English pronunciation =** Oh-hah-yo



Good night **= oyasumi**

  * **English pronunciation =** Oh-yah-soo-me



Yes **= Hai**

  * **English pronunciation =** Hi! or hah-ee(say it quickly)



No **= iie**

  * **English pronunciation =** EE-yeh(say it quickly)



I understand. **(now that it's been explained) = wakarimashita**

  * **English pronunciation =** wah-kah-'ree-mah-she-tah



I don't understand. **= wakarimasen**

  * **English pronunciation =** wah-kah-'ree-mah-sen



Do you speak English? **= eigo ga hanasemasu ka?**

  * **English pronunciation =** ay-go gah hah-nah-say-mas kah



Nice to meet you. **= hajimemashite**

  * **English pronunciation =** hah-jee-may-mah-she-tay



What's your name? **= onamae wa nan desu ka?**

  * **English pronunciation =** oh-nah-mah-ay wah nan des kah



-

**Those are the basic phrases you will most likely hear when you stay in Japan. It's best**

**to acknowledge that formal usage is best used for everyone until you know someone personally.**

**-**

**The final part of my letter has more to do with skating in general.**

**-**

**As a skater, I am very much aware of my faults. I have anxiety, which causes me to freeze up and**

**panic at the worst moments. When that happens, my jumps tend to be horrible, though I always**

**make up in presentation if my technicals suffer. Though I wish my jumps could be better too.**

**-**

**I wanted to know if you have any advice on how to better my jumps. Several people have simply**

**told me to 'jump better', and while their attempts are appreciated, I'm not exactly able to get**

**any kind of help from such words. I don't have a coach and I don't know any other skaters, so I**

**have no one I can turn to in this.**

**-**

**I practice daily. Hours upon hours of the rink being free to me whenever I want. Sometimes**

**I go skating even past hours when I need to relax and calm down. Thankfully I know the owners**

**so I'm never told to just leave.**

**-**

**So I have the time on my hands to dedicate to it. I just wish I had a coach who understood**

**what I'm going through and who could actually give me the tools I need to become a better**

**skater. I want to be better. But I can't seem to do that right now.**

**-**

**Any advice you have would be great!**

**-**

**On the final page of this letter I've highlighted several restaurants in the various places you**

**might visit here in Japan, during your career. I also sketched a picture of you and your poodle.**

**Please don't laugh at it. It took forever. There are some other drawings too, as suggested by my**

**friends.**

**-**

**This is the most informal letter I have ever written. It's also the longest, but it really wasn't**

**as anxiety attack inducing as I thought it would be! It's was actually really fun!**

**-**

**Thank you for taking the time to read this, and just know that I am already well aware that**

**you're going to win the Russian Nationals. No one else but you deserves to win. I hope that**

**your time wasn't taken up too much by agreeing to do this.**

**-**

**I hope your New Year will be fun!**

**^-^ Katsuki Yuuri.**

* * *

Victor realized he'd been sitting on the sofa for several moments, simply staring at the intricate detail that had gone into the letter.

A page for greeting and introducing himself. A page with translations. A page asking for advice. A page with restaurants and hotels. A sketch of he and Makka. And finally, a small collection of sketches of him in his various costumes, as well as some places that he was sure were in Japan. Like parks and a large, oddly shaped building.

The one of he and Makka had the words, **'Happy Birthday, Victor!'** written on the bottom corner, plus a tiny Japanese signature from the creator himself.

"Mr. Nikiforov!"

Victor glanced up and made eye contact with Maria.

"Do you want to type your reply today or tomorrow? You seem a little scatterbrained at the moment."

"I… I think I'm going to write this one personally."

Though she cocked a brow, she didn't question him.

Besides, this letter went above and beyond the other letters. So it was only right.

* * *

"Yuuri, something came for you today!"

Mari was waving an envelope in front of his face and was smiling widely, like she knew something he didn't.

"It's from St. Petersburg," she went on to say.

Yuuri tried to make a grab for the letter, but she held it just out of reach, her smile morphing into one of cruel amusement. "Now I _wonder_ who this could be from?"

"Please don't do this to me now! Please!" he begged.

"Only because I'm awesome."

Yuuri took the offered envelope - which was a lot larger than he expected - and scuttled off to his room without so much as a greeting to anyone else.

Once safely inside, with his darling Vic-chan curled up on the bed, Yuuri took a few breaths in order to calm himself down. He could do this. It was just a letter. A letter from his idol, but a letter nonetheless.

With painstakingly slow movements, Yuuri tore open the side of the yellow envelope and slipped the folded papers from within.

The letter was written by hand. Victor Nikiforov responded in his own pen. With English writing that was made up primarily of big loops and wide curves.

**Dear Yuuri,**

**-**

**As you've probably already guessed, my name if Victor Nikiforov.**

**-**

**I have to admit that after reading your letter, I was caught somewhere** **between**

 **shocked and emotional.** **Especially after I re-read it again and** **realized all**

 **of the amazing things you included within it.** **No one has ever** **told me that**

 **I inspire them. In anything.** **In fact, my rinkmates simply** **find me to be a**

 **milestone to pass someday.** **My coach often calls me a** **'hassle' and frequently**

 **tells me that it's a wonder** **I manage to make it** **anywhere because I'm so 'air-headed'.**

**-**

**I decided to look you up on Google and I have to say that you are adorable!**

**And you look good with longer hair. As a person with long hair, I can relate.**

**-**

**I also watched several videos of your routines on YouTube in order to get a** **feel for**

**your performances.**

**-**

**In your Junior debut, you made a few errors** **toward the beginning of your** **program,**

 **because you kept focusing too hard.** **To me, it seems that you can** **do your jumps just**

 **fine, what gets you is the** **anxiety and lack of confidence.** **I'm not exactly sure how to**

 **combat that,** **as I don't have anxiety, so I don't** **have the experience necessary.**

**-**

**However, I can tell you to keep practicing your jumps. Even when you've** **'mastered'**

 **them, you are to never stop practicing.** **I'm always training and** **I don't get to play**

**around often.**

**-**

**Your Salchows are a bit shaky though. I can** **tell just by your performances** **that it's the**

 **most recent jump you've 'mastered'.** **Your Triple Axel is very good,** **so I would advise**

 **dedicating your jump training mostly to perfecting your Triple** **Salchow.** **Other than that,**

**your Triples overall are pretty solid.**

**-**

**I would advise learning some Quads once you get a proper coach.**

**-**

**Learning a way to deal with your anxiety in a manner than doesn't end up hurting** **you in the**

 **end, would be best.** **Maybe chew some gum, or bring a book with you?** **Cheer yourself on.**

 **Think of what you know you are best and at and focus on that.** **Imagine the spectators are in**

 **diapers. ← I do that one a lot. It's kind of gross actually,** **but it lightens the mood. A lot.**

**-**

**Think about rewarding yourself after a competition.** **If you medal, you get a prize.** **One that's**

 **just as good as a medal.** **Like a special meal or maybe a night out to dinner.** **And then you can**

 **skate to earn that special prize that you want so badly.** **When I medal,** **I'm allowed to choose**

 **any three days I want and I stay home with Makka, eat whatever** **I want, and either sleep all day,**

**or watch YouTube videos.**

**-**

**I've accumulated a lot of days.** **I'm saving up in case I want to go on a holiday or**

**something.**

**-**

**On the list of Japanese phrases, thank you!** **I've been to Tokyo and and I felt horribly out**

 **of place despite how much I tried to mimic everyone around me.** **Removing my shoes**

 **at the door and learning how to use chopsticks.** **Keeping business cards that are**

 **randomly handed to me.** **The list will totally help me and you're an angel to have**

**thought of such a thing!**

**-**

**Also, the restaurants will be great.** **I had to order at the hotel last time, but next time**

 **I can brave the crowds!** **Despite what some may think, I'm not all that outgoing,**

 **especially in foreign places.** **Now I don't have to hide away from everyone!**

**-**

**I loved** **your drawings by the way!** **You put so much detail into my hair and Makka's**

**fur and I'm sure I'm correct when I write that you must love my hair as well as poodles!**

**I can tell in how much time it had to have taken to perfect both.**

**-**

**The pictures of me in my Junior days were beautiful.** **Those of random cars and**

 **playgrounds were very nostalgic.** **They took me back nearly six years to when I**

 **was in Tokyo and went sightseeing by myself(without permission).** **I like them and**

 **have them framed** **on my wall!** **The one of Makka and I is also framed, but that's on**

 **my bedside table.** **It's better than any photo a magazine has ever taken of us!**

**-**

**You know, your letter was the longest and most detailed one I have ever gotten.**

**I can tell that you put a lot of thought into it.** **More than anyone else if I'm to be honest.**

**I may have a cried a little while on the first page, but it was just so beautiful. Thank you.**

**-**

**This section of my letter involves Coaches.** **I looked up some figure skating coaches**

 **with good reputations both on the ice themselves, and off the ice.** **All of them are**

 **good and some of them work for universities that offer scholarships.** **I would advise**

**you to speak with some of them. I included email addresses, actual addresses, and**

**phone numbers.** **Those I could find anyway.**

**-**

**The extra information is clipped to the last page.**

**-**

**You have a lot of potential, Yuuri.** **I can see how amazing you are in your step sequences.**

 **They grabbed my attention easily and demanded that I watch with all I am.** **And I did.**

 **I watched every single performance of yours that has made it to live television.** **I hope you**

 **can enter the Senior Division soon because** **I want to skate against you as well.**

**-**

**I look forward to that day, Yuuri.**

**-**

**With much excitement,**

**Victor Nikiforov.**

**-**

**-P.S. This letter was sent from my home and as I don't plan on moving any time in the** **near**

 **future, I wouldn't mind receiving any other mail from you.** **I can tell that you're trustworthy.**

**-P.P.S. My email is victornikisthekingoftheice ********.com. Message me!**

Victor Nikiforov had given Yuuri his person information. His actual address! His actual email address! He thought Yuuri was trustworthy! He called Yuuri adorable and liked his longer hair! He liked Yuuri's skating and had actually watched his performances! He framed the sketches that Yuuri made for him! He looked up possible coaches and recommended them on a separate sheet of paper!

The teen turned and buried his face into his pillow in order to scream himself hoarse.

This was the best day of his life!

* * *

"Victor Nikiforov wrote your letter by hand!"

Yuuko was squealing. When Yuuri had told her about the response he'd gotten, she'd gone wild.

"Mine was typed. Yours actually came from his home. Mine and everyone else's all came from Penned Pals! Our envelopes were already typed up. The pages our replies were written on were yellow and had puppies and kittens printed on the bottom left corner. Store bought. He used actual lined paper and bright purple ink for your letter! A four page letter, Yuuri! His personal signature is on it! His personal information is on it!"

Yuuri flushed the more she went on and on about it.

"Something about you made him want to respond so intimately, Yuuri! This is such a big deal!"

"That's not _intimate_ , Yuuko."

The pitying smile she sent his way made his stomach curl and flutter.

"Yuuri, if you only knew."

* * *

 

**A/N: The first is done!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

**Check out my other YOI fics!**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The face to face meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Fluff and feels. So because the timeline is changing, I made Victor win a year early. But he won't be getting 5 Time World Champion status in this fic, so it's okay.
> 
> -Linked the music for Yuuri's programs.
> 
> -This story won't be very long. Only a few more chapters at least. ^-^
> 
> -Also can't believe that it needs to be mentioned, but this is FANFICTION. If you come into a fanfic expecting the exact copy of the canon, why the hell are you here? FANFICTION is known to challenge the lines of what is canon, or just completely change it. Some things aren't real. Some things are changed. Why would you come into a story expecting to see exactly what is in the original? Just go watch/read the original if that's all you want.
> 
> Also, some whiners are angry that I've made up skating moves and changed others. Like it's a big effin deal in FANFICTION? I had Yuuri create a move. So what? It's not like it's super special or anything. He'll rarely do it. This is FANFICTION and I can change things. I even state that I change things. Why is this hard to grasp?

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Yuri on Ice.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

"Yuuri, you've got this," Minako-sensei said as she patted his back. "You're going to go out there and you're going to demonstrate that you got this far without an official figure skating coach. It'll show everyone just what you're capable of. If you had a real coach, you'd already be in the Senior Division and would be a big threat. So this is a warning to all of them."

Yuuri flushed at her words, but he knew she wasn't lying. After all, Victor Nikiforov had said pretty much the same thing in the past few months. So if someone like Victor would even say it, then it had to be true. Especially if Victor admitted to being 'arrogant and conceited' about his own skating.

He felt sort of like he was going to vomit, but he was also strangely calm. Victor would find some way to watch his performance. Victor would be paying attention to him. He'd promised. He also promised to give him a rundown of what he did wrong and right, so he could improve.

France was beautiful during the summer, and Yuuri had to admit that he actually liked it a lot. He wouldn't mind exploring a bit when he had some free time.

The Junior Grand Prix wasn't as important as the Senior Grand Prix, but it was still a big deal to him personally. After all, this was his first time competing in it. He intended to at least make it to the final, because he needed to put his name out there.

If he was going to get a coach, he needed to prove that he deserved one. He needed his name to be out in the figure skating world so that people knew who to watch out for and who to take seriously. Also, sponsorships were a very important fact in any sports star's life. Sports weren't exactly cheap after all.

Yuuri bowed to his ballet instructor. "Thank you, sensei."

"Go out there and show them why Katsuki Yuuri isn't one to mess around with!"

The announcers called his name, and Yuuri moved out toward the center of the rink. He was lucky enough to go last, which made him feel so much better. Going first was never his favorite, despite how much others thought it was great.

Yuuri's theme for the season was **Confrontation**. His music for his Short and Free Programs brought about a sense of going into battle. So of course it all fit together.

His Short Program had been joint choreographed between he and Minako-sensei, and was to the music, [Requiem For A Tower](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8babtUUPU6Q), by Escala. It had originally been a ballet piece they had been working on and they simply changed the key elements for the ice instead.

One that required a lot of intricate footwork and if he hadn't been doing ballet for so long, he probably wouldn't have been able to do any of the moves so well. However, he was incredibly limber from years of cross training, so he could twist his ankles at odd angles and hold his entire weight even with them turned so far outward.

When the music began, Yuuri wasted no time in drawing his arms close to his body, as if trying to hold something dear as close as possible. But as the music grew, he couldn't keep it from escaping, and he proceeded to struggle with making it remain with him.

His struggles lead him across the ice, trying to catch up to this invisible thing that kept him so focused. It was Support. The Support of his family and friends first. His nation second. After all, he'd been chosen to compete in the JGP and had a lot on his shoulders.

A combination spin.

A Triple Axel from a fan spiral. A sequence of hops from front to back again and again, five times consecutively across the rink. It wouldn't be so much of a shock had he not done said hops from what would be called Fifth Position in ballet.

Keeping said position would be a struggle on the ice for someone not as limber, but Yuuri managed to keep the position in place despite alternating which side he was hopping to and the fact that he was performing half rotations in the air.

Thank goodness for Minako-sensei and her Support, otherwise he would have been discouraged from trying this.

A sweep of the arm.

A Triple Loop.

A Biellmann spiral into a camel spin. He loved the spins most!

Steps, followed by a flying sit spin.

And in those last few seconds, Yuuri ended his program with a Quad Toe-Triple Toe for more impact on the judging. It was the first time he'd attempted a Quad in competition and he was eternally thankful that he had landed the combination.

When the music ended, Yuuri found himself out of breath and smiling slightly, arms held tightly to his chest when the strings came to a stop. He'd done what he'd set out to do.

Hold that Support close and use it to fuel himself.

The applause from the audience was nearly deafening.

Minako-sensei drew him into a tight hug when he made it back to her side.

His Short Program came to an 70.12, which kept him in first. And he was grateful, he truly was. It meant he was going last in the Free Program.

He hated going first, so this was a boon if anything else.

But at least he got to tell Victor about it in his next letter, so that was cool!

* * *

Yuuri apparently left a bigger impact than he thought possible. Especially since his little hops mid program had caught a lot of attention. And inspired a lot of questions.

It was a 'move never before seen on the ice rink' and brought forth a lot of questions about his training and how he managed such a thing when he didn't have a figure skating coach of his own and had only had the most rudimentary of training from Takeshi's father, who was a retired instructor.

The hype didn't die down, even when two days passed and he was preparing himself for his Free Skate.

He had to get at least 150 to remain in first place. That meant breaking out the Quad he knew.

He also knew that Victor had pretty much told him not to try unless he had a qualified coach, but Yuuri wanted to win. The way to catch up to Victor was to take chances, and that was what life was all about. It didn't matter if it was ballet or skating or some other sport, he would still be taking chances either way, so why not do it in a way he liked?

Yuuri's Free Program was to [Palladio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDYwXMNm7F4), also by Escala. He owned the ice just as thoroughly as he had in his Short Program, and his fluttering stomach didn't make him feel ill. Instead, he'd felt so pumped and ready to win!

It was nice to not feel like he was going to collapse the moment he stepped on the ice.

He had a feeling it was because of Victor's Support. Victor believing in him made it easier to breathe. Victor wanted to face off against him in the future!

He still wasn't over that little fact.

"The score for Katsuki Yuuri's Free Program is 150.43! He is currently in first place!"

No one managed to top his score.

He was going onto the cup being held in Japan.

* * *

**VICTOR!**

**-**

**Sorry for the shouting but I am so excited! I actually managed to**

**qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final! Me! I won gold in both**

**France and Japan, so I'll be going to China for the Finals and I'm**

**really excited, which is a bit unusual. Usually I'm vomiting from**

**nervousness.**

**-**

**Now, I know what you're thinking. I was incredibly foolish to try**

**to teach myself a Quad jump, but you have to understand that this**

**means a lot of me and I really want to prove that I can handle that**

**hard work. That was why the Quad-Triple combo is at the end of my**

**routines. Who's foolish enough to do that, after all? I am!**

**-**

**Besides, Takeshi's father watched me to make sure. He knew enough**

**to give me some advice, so it isn't that bad.  
**

**-**

**Also, I've been contacted by the ISU(yes, I'm shocked like you are).**

**My little hops on the ice, from the Fifth Position, is under critique.**

**Either it's going to be made an illegal move, or an official move.**

**They have to cast a vote, but it seems that the overall response is**

**pleasant so I'm not that worried.**

**-**

**Still, the fact that the ISU took notice of it is awesome, even if they**

**have to make it an illegal move. It'll go down in history either way.**

**I think I'm rambling, but I just can't help myself. This is probably**

**the best year of my life. I get to write to you all the time, and I can**

**train all I want, plus I'm having more fun than I ever have before.**

**I swear, this will forever be ingrained in my memory!**

**-**

**I'm sorry I kept going on about myself, I know it's rude. I'm trying**

**to work on it.**

**-**

**How are you doing? And Makka? Is she okay?**

**-**

**You know, I've noticed that my Victor is kind of small for a poodle.**

**And he's the same kind of poodle as Makka. I've started worrying**

**about him a lot.**

**-**

**Thankfully, I've won a bit of money so I can actually afford a visit**

**to the vet to see if he's okay. Don't forget to take care of your poodle!**

**I might be a little panicked over it, but other than that I'm fine.**

**You're going to be at the Grand Prix Final, I just realized. I am**

**going to physically meet you in person! This is seriously the best**

**year ever! I can't handle all of this at once!**

**-**

**I'm sorry I'm so emotional.**

**-**

**I can't wait to see you!**

**Yuuri!**

**P.S. We'll be seeing each other at the Grand Prix Final! ^-^**

* * *

Victor couldn't help but look around expectantly. Ever since the start of their friendship, he and Yuuri had been longing to meet each other as soon as possible, and the best way to do that was to take place in the same competition, or at least in competitions held in conjunction with each other.

So Victor was competing in the Senior Grand Prix, and Yuuri was competing in the Junior Grand Prix. Both had made it to the Finals in China, which meant that they would finally get to meet face to face.

Yuuri was in first place in the proceedings, which was very good for his first time running through the Grand Prix circuit, Junior or not.

Victor was also in first for the Seniors, though the second place holder was only behind him by a few points. It had been a close call actually.

The Final was where he planned to unveil his secret weapon. He was exchanging one of his jumps in his Short Program and his Free Program with his new Quad Flip. And then he'd be the first skater in history to ratify said jump and it would become his signature move!

He was understandably excited. He wondered if Yuuri would be impressed. After all, Victor was doing this a year earlier than planned, all for Yuuri.

Victor looked around again, trying to spot Yuuri in the crowd. He knew of what the other looked like when he had his glasses on and off, so it wouldn't be hard to spot him. He also made sure to familiarize himself with his ballet instructor's appearance just in case.

Nothing would deter him!

His eyes caught on before his mind did, but his mind was not far behind. Yuuri stood out in his black and blue sports jacket that showed him as the Japanese competitor. He was looked around warily as his instructor, Minako, lead him by the shoulder.

Victor beamed and abandoned Yakov at the desk - he could do all that boring stuff on his own anyway - and went to greet his new friend.

"Yuuri!"

The boy frowned suddenly and looked around, face a mask of shock and confusion. He barely had time to register that Victor coming for him because Victor was already all over him, arms wrapped firmly around his smaller and thinner shoulders.

"Hi, Yuuri!"

"Victor!"

When Victor pulled away, he was graced with a flushed smile and the brightest hazel eyes he'd ever seen.

"Oh _Yuuri_ , something you haven't me?" Okukawa Minako asked, voice high and sweet.

Yuuri stiffened and turned in Victor's arms to give her an apologetic look. "Victor and I have been writing to each other for a few months since the Penned Pals thing, Minako-sensei."

A strange noise came from the woman but she only smiled in response.

"I suppose I'll go check us in then so you and Victor can catch up in person."

She wheeled her bag on over toward the desk where Yakov was standing, and Yuuri was left to stand in the circle of Victor's arms, hand barely outstretched toward her.

"Yuuri, I'm so happy to finally meet you in person!" Victor gushed. "You're as cute as I thought you'd be!"

Yuuri was suddenly choking and Victor had to pat his back a few times.

"Another reason I'm glad to see you is that I can give you your birthday present in person and watch your face as you open it!"

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"But I wanted to, and that's all that matters," Victor said with a grin.

Cautiously, Yuuri smiled back. "I suppose it's a good thing I also bought you a birthday gift."

" _Really_?!"

Yuuri got him a present for his birthday! Barely anyone remembered his birthday.

"It's in my bag," Yuuri added after a moment. "Do you want it now, or later?"

"Can we exchange gifts over dinner?" Victor asked slyly, fluttering his lashes for added effect.

Though he was blushing profusely, Yuuri nodded.

"I'd like that."

* * *

Victor bought Yuuri a poodle tissue holder! It looked just like Vic-chan and had a cute little felt tongue! It was probably the cutest thing he'd gotten in a long time! And the best thing overall was how Victor had signed the tag for him.

It made Yuuri feel not as foolish for the gift he'd made for the man.

Basically, Yuuri had made an amigurumi Victor Nikiforov in chibi form. In Yuuri's favorite skating costume of course. The black one with the crystal rhinestones and the half skirt. In the doll's arms was a mini Makka.

"Yuuri, you're so talented!" Victor had gushed as he cradled his doll to his chest. "How are you even possible? I love it! Thank you!"

"I'm glad."

"I need to take you out for dinner now. We need to catch up!"

"O-okay."

* * *

Victor couldn't help himself. He was just so happy. He and Yuuri got to finally meet in person and Yuuri was just as adorable and kind in person than he was over their letters. Victor didn't have many friends and he was so grateful that his choice in friends wasn't terrible.

He also knew that he wasn't performing until the tenth, but Yuuri's Short Program was on the first day of the Final, so Victor gladly attended because he had to cheer his friend on. He also wanted to make a bold statement that he and Yuuri knew each other very well. That they were friends for a while before this season even began.

Yuuri had to skate last because he'd accumulated the most points overall during his run through the Grand Prix. It was like a boon for him because Yuuri admitted to hating having to skate first. It was his least favorite part of any competition. So going last didn't leave him as much of a nervous wreck as he'd expected.

Victor placed his hands on the teen's cheeks and smiled widely, knowing that Yuuri would instinctively move to mimic him. "Yuuri, you're going to go out there and show everyone just how amazing you are. They'll be awestruck by your step sequences and they'll be unable to look away. Like me."

" _Y-you_?" the boy stuttered, eyes wide again.

"Of course. How could I look away from someone as spectacular as you?"

He didn't care for all the reporters and the cameras. He simply cared about calming Yuuri down.

"And maybe some time in the future you can teach me how to do your little hops. As they haven't been ruled out yet, they're still legal."

" _Me_ teach _you_?"

"Why not? I plan to teach you something special too, you know. It'll be a surprise for tomorrow. You'll know it when you see it," Victor said with a wink.

"Now go out there and make everyone jealous."

Victor relinquished the teen to his coach and simply stood back as Okukawa Minako had Yuuri go through several breathing exercises, and run throughs of what looked to be introductory ballet, but on skates. The teen's face focused on those movements, eyes hardened as he looked his instructor in the eye the entire time.

Several moments later, Yuuri was standing on the ice, waiting for his name to be announced.

"Both Victor-san and I are here cheering you on, and our friends and your family are back at home cheering too. We've got your back, so make sure everyone can only see it when you win."

Victor beamed and gave another wink so Yuuri would understand.

The teen nodded and moved off to take position.

Witnessing Yuuri skating in person was so much different than over some grainy television or poorly shot YouTube clip.

Yuuri went out and did exactly what he was told, which was to make sure that his fellow skaters could only watch his back for the majority of the competition as they struggled to catch up to him.

His footwork was breathtaking and had Victor leaning over the barrier slightly as if it would give him a better view of what he was watching. Yuuri's legs were incredibly limber, demonstrated by how easily he could do a fan spiral and a Biellmann spiral. How he so easily held such difficult positions as if they were nothing taxing.

To think, his Yuuri might have come up with a figure skating move. Now if the ISU would pull their heads from their asses and stop acting as if it was particularly dangerous. Victor wanted to learn the move! And even if it was marked as illegal, it could still be done in the exhibition, so who cared?

When Yuuri stepped off the ice, his face was flushed adorably and he welcomed Victor's bone-breaking hug.

"You were beautiful," Victor told him, enjoying how the boy flushed so sweetly.

"Thanks."

Yuuri's score came out to 70.95. A new personal best.

And the best part, was that Yuuri held first place all throughout the Junior men's Shorts.

Victor was unerringly proud. Not even Yakov's yelling at him later on could put him in a bad mood.

* * *

Yuuri being able to go and see Victor perform in real life had been on of the most intense moments in his life. After all, Victor insisted that he and Minako-sensei get close. And by 'close', he meant standing with his own coach near the Kiss & Cry, waiting for Victor while he skated.

And as Victor apparently got what he wanted, even when it wasn't feasible, no one would deny him. So Yuuri found himself standing beside an irate man whom Minako-sensei seemed to be easily warming up to. Mostly because he used to be Lilia Baranovskaya's husband and of course Minako-sensei would lock onto him somehow.

Despite no longer being together, the two were still on speaking terms, and when Minako mentioned that she was a former classmate of the woman's, Yakov was a lot more interested. Especially since she wasn't a skating coach and therefore anything she and Yuuri worked on was a miracle in essence.

"You need a coach," Yakov told him, accent thick. "You won't be able to go far unless you get one soon. That much talent would go to waste and it shouldn't."

When Victor was up to skate, last as he'd had the highest score.

Yuuri barely remembered anything but Victor moving on the ice. Sure there was talking from the audience and the announcers. Sure, Minako-sensei and Yakov were talking to each other beside him. Sure, there other competitors were watching obsessively to mark how Victor was doing.

Yuuri simply remembered his heart beating madly and nearly losing his composure when Victor launched himself into a Quad Flip. He landed it cleanly, a smile on his face as he did so. He even waved in Yuuri's direction, to which Yuuri recalled his arm raising in return.

When the Short Program ended, Victor was breathless and his eyes were bright with excitement.

"You did a Quad Flip!" Yuuri gushed when they were finally able to speak to one another.

Victor was nodding madly. "I had planned to save it for next season, but meeting you made me want to try harder. You're very inspiring, and I decided that I was going to try even harder to surprise you like you surprised me. Without the Quad Flip, I probably would have only won silver, but as I decided that it would be a part of my routines from now on, I've just upped my technical difficulty and base points."

Victor said he was surprised and inspired by Yuuri. Yuuri might as well just melt.

Victor's score came out to 101.25, which was a new personal best and World Record.

Yuuri needed to find some way to shock Victor now. If the man was going to be dropping such things randomly in the middle simply because he wanted to surprise Yuuri of all people, then Yuuri needed to pay him back.

But how?

* * *

The men's Juniors were skating before the Seniors, so Yuuri found himself going last out of his group. With fingers crossed, Yuuri had to think long and hard about his routine.

Palladio was the longest Free Program he'd ever had. He had the stamina to work through it, but he knew that in order to truly win, he had to do something different than his former times performing it. Which meant switching up his jumps.

Now, his original set up had the hardest jumps first to get them out of the way, but Victor lived by a, 'how can you surprise people if you don't take risks?' way of thinking. So Yuuri wanted to surprise Victor and currently, he didn't have much to work with beyond ridiculous stamina and good footwork.

But… he could do something rarely done and almost never seen in Junior skaters. Back logging his routine with the harder jumps.

**3T**

**3Lo**

**3F**

**3Lz**

**4T-3T**

**4S**

**3A-1Lo-3S**

Theoretically it would work. Yuuri had yet to land a Quad Salchow because they were so damn difficult, but that would not stop him. He could land the Triple, and the Quad was literally just a step up. He just had to try really hard not to touch the ice with his hands, land on both feet, or fall, and it would be okay.

Yeah, that was _totally_ it.

Minako-sensei made sure that he was absolutely certain he wanted to do this, and he was. Just because she was not a figure skating coach did not mean that she didn't look out for his safety. She also made him run through the routine in their hotel room, just make sure he remembered his newly configured jump list.

"If you skate anything like you did leading up to this competition, I know you'll do fantastic," said Victor as he wished Yuuri good luck. "Better than anyone else."

The butterflies in Yuuri's stomach sort of soothed at that. The constant reminder that Victor was there and was actually Supporting him. Victor Nikiforov who somehow decided that Yuuri was the person he wanted to reach out to, was wishing him a burst of good luck in his program and telling him that he'd win.

"Victor, I have a surprise of my own, so don't take your eyes off me."

Victor beamed, and Yuuri would swear he heard the angels singing.

"I wouldn't dare," the man promised.

With a deep breath, Yuuri took to the ice, and the rest… was history. Literally.

World Record for the Juniors, breaking Victor's record.

* * *

Victor and Yuuri ended up posing for a lot of reporters and journalists. Both having won gold at the Finals and both obviously being friends. Victor's arm was wrapped around Yuuri's shoulders as both of them held up their gold medals.

The Russian was unable to stop smiling. He and the silver medalist had been _so_ close in points, and if he had not brought the Quad Flip out so early, he wouldn't have gotten the gold. So basically, Yuuri was the one who got him to win gold a year early.

And Yuuri won gold at his first ever Junior Grand Prix Final. It rarely happened, Victor having been the last person to do such. But it was great!

And the best part of it, was that Victor knew this would cause Yuuri's popularity in the skating scene to skyrocket.

It was already starting. Former Olympic silver medalist, Celestino Cialdini, was pulling Yuuri and his instructor aside in order to talk with them.

That was a very big deal.

Victor could feel the warmth in his stomach spreading.

He had so much to tell Makka when he got home!

* * *

**Yuuri,**

**-**

**Now, I know that I'm not a good artist. At all. I mean it Yuuri,**

**giving me any kind of art utensil is just asking for a disaster.**

**However, I wanted to give you and picture of Makka and I that**

**wasn't off of some flimsy magazine article, nor bought for a**

**ridiculous price online. So this had to do.**

**-**

**I'll wait a moment for you to open the gift…(open it now).**

Yuuri looked away from the letter to stare at the smaller box that had come inside the larger box the letter was in. Said box was white and thin and had the word 'fragile' printed across it several times in bright orange lettering.

Cautiously, Yuuri reached for the scissors and cut around the tape on the edges of the box.

It was a photo, but it had been put into a glass frame that was almost an inch thick. The glass was a light shade of blue - probably because that was his favorite color - and was transparent. A frosted effect. There were tiny, blue ice skates and fluffy brown poodles, around the borders and a few white snowflakes smattered here and there.

The photo was of Victor and his poodle Makka. Victor was leaning over Makka's back and had his hands up, showing the peace sign. Makka was panting, tongue on display. Both looked happy and wholesome.

It was a great gift.

Yuuri put it beside his photo of Victor and Makka on his desk.

A photo specifically from Victor himself. His heart was fluttering madly.

**Do you love it?! I managed to get the proper frame made.**

**I thought that since we both love poodles and skating, it**

**would be appropriate to have both!**

**-**

**It's a gift for doing so well so far this season!**

**-**

**I watched the Japan Junior Nationals and you won gold just**

**like at the JGPF! I'm so proud of you! Especially since you**

**don't have a proper coach so you aren't getting the training**

**you specifically need. You don't understand exactly how**

**amazing that is, Yuuri. One day, we are going to face off on**

**the ice and it's going to be a close call, I can see it. We just**

**need to get you a good coach first.**

**-**

**Maybe Yakov could coach you? I'll ask him! Then you can**

**move here and we can spend all our time together! You could**

**even stay with me, Yuuri!**

**-**

**I have a big house and only Makka to share it with, so it would**

**be great to have company.**

**-**

**I won't bother you about it though if you've already chosen a coach.**

**At least we can still write to each other. And with the advancements**

**in technology, we might be able to do more than that! Have you heard**

**about 'Facebook' yet? It's become really popular in the states. That**

**could be great in a few years!**

**-**

**And who knows, maybe something even better than that will crop up**

**in the near future!**

**-**

**I'm so excited! 2010 seemed to be a pretty good year! Now we just**

**have to lay in wait for 2011 and hope that everything gets better.**

**And we'll of course advance in our skating.**

**-**

**It was great to see you at the Grand Prix Final. I plan to watch your**

**performance Junior Worlds, so don't disappoint!**

**I need to have someone to brag about after all!**

**-**

**Looking forward to your next letter,**

**Victor.**

**P.S. Makka says, "hi"!**

**P.P.S. Can we get a photo of you and your Victor?**

Victor was sometimes too sweet for words.

Yuuri sighed as he reclined on his small bed, and looked up, finding Victor's face on the ceiling. And walls.

In order to make extra money, Victor had many sponsorships, contracts, endorsement deals, and other things.

The funny thing was, Yuuri had gotten similar offers after his gold victory at Nationals. Now that he'd proven that he could in fact land a Quad Salchow and a Quad Toe Loop, despite being only a Junior without a real coach, he was considered someone to look out for. Just as Victor had said he would be.

And Celestino Cialdini worked with a University in Detroit Michigan, and offered to take him on if he wanted to attend an American school. They offered scholarships of all kinds and as Cialdini had a good reputation in the figure skating world. Yuuri knew it would be foolish to pass him up especially since he was the first to approach Yuuri and had more to say than, 'you'd make your country proud'.

Like, he loved Japan, but there was to this than his country. So much more that meant more to him in the end. Celestino offered to help him get to the level he deserved to be at. So he could be happy with himself and his skating.

Endorsing certain products and being a walking advertisement would probably help him save up money for university if he decided to attend. It could be done and his family wouldn't have to suffer any financial strain that way.

He just wasn't sure of what to do. But maybe Victor would know what would be best.

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

**Check out my other YOI fics!**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my many other YOI fics!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri gets a taste of life as a star athlete. He and Victor exchange cute letters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Our children are growing up!
> 
> -More cute stuff and fluff! Yuuri's growing and experiencing new things! Victor is a good friend!
> 
> -This chapter was cute!
> 
> -Things change in the skating part of the story. I thought it was obvious after the first two chapters. Not canon. Not close to rl either.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Yuri on Ice.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

**Victor!**

**-**

**As requested, I got my mother to take a recent photo of Victor and I and we went**

**and made you a frame instead of purchasing one. I'm cheap, but also felt that I**

**could make one exactly as I wanted it to be instead of walking around a crafts**

**shop, losing my mind because nothing fits the mental image I dreamed up. I hope**

**you like it!**

**-**

**I learned basic shop skills from my father. He helped his father build our inn many**

**years ago after all. He instructed me on what to do and how to do it correctly.**

**I did the cutting, sanding, painting, and the finish. My mother made it glitter somehow,**

**but she won't say. She added a few extra things so it would stand out more.**

**-**

**As you wear a lot of pinks, we went with shades of pink, so I hope that was okay.**

**In the photo behind Victor and I, is a large sign written in kanji. The most basic**

**translation of it would be, 'love yourself', which is something my mother has been**

**saying for years.**

**-**

**Consider this the rest of your birthday present. ^-^**

**-**

**Guess what? I guest starred in an ice show here in Japan.**

**-**

**The group from Fukuoka had performances in ten different venues all across the country,**

**so it was hard, but fun. Skating with other people was interesting, and as it's the Winter**

**season, we did The Nutcracker on Ice.**

**-**

**I did the show upon Minako-sensei's suggestion. She said it would give me experience**

**and maybe I would learn something new. What a lot of people don't realize is that ice**

**dancing is not the same as pair skating, which is not the same as figure skating. They all**

**require different types of training and I actually got sit in some classes with other skaters**

**and learn from their coaches and trainers.**

**-**

**It was eye opening, and reminded me that I should not get complacent even though I've**

**reached a plateau in my skills. Also, it was pointed out to me that I will be going through**

**a growth spurt soon and will truly need to continue training as I work through it and my**

**body decides to change. I'm not looking forward to it in case you were wondering.**

**-**

**I have included some photos from my time with the ice show, if you want to see them! I**

**was made the Nutcracker/Prince and it was a very interesting experience that required a lot**

**of my ballet training to properly get into. My leanings in presentation really helped sell the story.**

**-**

**It was shocking to see so many people in attendance. Especially since it's a Christmas story**

**and we don't celebrate it the way westerners do. But there are people who appreciate a good**

**story even if it doesn't fit their traditions, which would explain why people go to see the ballet**

**of the Nutcracker.**

**-**

**Just a note for you. If you ever decide to go into ice dancing or synchronized skating, beware**

**that the lights change A LOT! I had to get used to there being light, and there being no light,**

**and not enough light at some points.**

**-**

**I had to get contact lenses or else I couldn't see! But it was worth it in the end. I think I look**

**better without glasses actually, so maybe I'll only save them for when I'm too lazy to struggle**

**with the contacts.**

**-**

**Oh! I wanted to tell you about my signing a contract with Asahi!**

**-**

**Asahi is one of the best companies for sports equipment in Japan. Any sport you can think of,**

**they've got the stuff you need. Most commercials, advertisements, and sports stars in Japan,**

**turn to their brand.**

**-**

**I've signed a contract and for the next five years, I'm going to be the face of the company. I will**

**wear and use only workout gear and skating equipment from their shops. In return, they will**

**be sponsoring me, which in turn saves a lot of money. Sponsoring includes: travel fees and free gear.**

**-**

**^This^ required a lot of paperwork, and licences, and signing of things that Minako-sensei had to**

**explain to me. Though in the end, I get top of the line workout clothes and skates and I don't have**

**to worry for plane fare and other expenses. Basically all I have to do is wear their brand, do a few**

**commercials, make a few statements, expand my growing fan base, and be in the top five in**

**competitions.**

**-**

**This will save so much in expenses, you have no idea.**

**-**

**Finally, I have been in contact with none other then Celestino Cialdini. He has offered to be my**

**coach and I am seriously considering taking him up on the offer. He works in tandem with a**

**university out in America and I can get in under scholarship as I'm an international athlete.**

**Again, saving money!**

**-**

**I really think I'm going to do it. Thank you for offering up your own coach though. While I'm**

**sure he didn't know a thing about it, it touches my heart anyway.**

**-**

**I know I've been babbling about myself this whole letter, but I just wanted to tell you about how**

**amazing everything is right and how and how I swear it's all because of you. I don't care if you**

**believe it or not, this is all your effect on my life!**

**-**

**Just being friends with you has managed to help me open up just a little. And it's really hard as an**

**introverted person, for me to put myself out there. It's been one of my greatest fears and setbacks,**

**because there's always that desire to do something, but then the anxiety just comes along and hits**

**you with the dreaded 'what if?'.**

**-**

**I'm always basing my actions on suppositions and it's holding me back. Recently, I've taken to**

**resorting to 'what would Victor do?', and then I think long and hard. Usually, whatever my mind**

**conjures up is a bit too much for me, so I try to find a happy medium between our preferences, in**

**order to get my work done.**

**-**

**It's uncomfortable sometimes, but the payoff is usually worth it.**

**-**

**Thank you for being a good role model, Victor. Even if everyone tells you that you're selfish and**

**conceited and have no regard for others, I at least know the truth and can appreciate you for who**

**you are.**

**-**

**You're amazing.**

**-**

**I hope your response will be just as exciting!**

**Yuuri.**

**-**

**P.S. I got my hair styled yesterday. I have fringe now! It happened after the photos were taken,**

**so I thought you should know ahead of time. Also, I think I might dye some of my hair.**

**-**

**P.P.S. My hair reaches my mid-back now and I put it back into plaits to avoid it getting everywhere.**

**Long hair is harder to manage than I thought it would be. How do you live with it?**

* * *

"Vitya, pay attention!"

Victor pouted at his coach who was frowning at him. "Yakov, you can't blame me! It's boring today and you took my iPod so I'm just lost now."

"That's because you were watching videos instead of listening to music as you should have!" his coach yelled back.

Yakov took technicalities too seriously. There was music attached, so it shouldn't matter.

"Katsuki Yuuri would be very disappointed in you."

Victor gasped, hand moving over his heart in offense. Yuuri would not. He would understand! Wouldn't he?

Although the teen _did_ seem to like praising Victor for his hard work. Hard work being an impressive thing. And Victor wasn't actually working at all at the moment.

Would Yuuri be disappointed in him?

No. He would be tolerant at least and probably try to get him to do some work, but he wouldn't tell Victor that all he should do is work. That was boring and Yuuri was fun! So Yuuri obviously would see his side of the argument.

"You have to choose an exhibition as well," Yakov said after a moment of heavy pouting.

Suddenly, Victor's displeasure was gone and he was filled with inspiration. The exhibition could be anything he wanted it to be, so he didn't have to follow rules and regulations! Meaning, music with words! Yeeeeeeesssssssss! This was a good day after all.

"Yakov, can I do something to an anime song?"

"NO!"

He should do it anyway, just to be an ass.

He'd think of something. He wondered what Yuuri's plans for Junior Worlds were.

* * *

**Yuuri!**

**-**

**The photo of you and Victor was so adorable. I just wanted to pinch your**

**cheeks so much! And I think Makka wants to meet Victor too! They would**

**get along so well, wouldn't they? How could they not when we're such good**

**friends?**

**-**

**You got to do ice shows! I've always wanted to do at least one but Yakov has**

**extreme ideas on what is beneficial in our profession and as I'm not not training**

**to synchronize my movements without another person's, it isn't needed in my**

**career. It's kind of sad because it looks like fun!**

**-**

**Yakov's summer camp sadly focuses on other things though.**

**-**

**Also, let me congratulate you for your partnership with Asahi! That's a big deal!**

**I can totally give you tips on how to expand your fan base though! I do a lot of**

**modeling as I'm sure you've noticed. I've also done extra things on the side in**

**order to build up my reputation and to make more money.**

**-**

**Voice acting, charity events, and randomly showing up at nationally broadcasted**

**events are the way to go. I would know, I've been doing it for a long time.**

**-**

**I 'm so excited foor you to eventually join the Senior Division! We can compete**

**against one another and things will finally get interesting! I'm lacking in a challenge,**

**Yuuri, and I know that you would definitely give me one!**

**-**

**Yakov has been mean to me lately! You need to pity me! I wanted to go and play**

**with Makka but he said I couldn't because we had to train for Worlds. Because**

**'Makka will be there when I get home, there's no reason for me to take a day off**

**right now'. Even though I have accumulated many days in order to take off!**

**-**

**To pay him back, I stayed home for three days anyway and ignored him when he**

**came to call. Unfortunately, I now have to do figures only, which isn't fair considering**

**he was going on and on about how I needed to train seriously not even five days ago!**

**-**

**I'm sad.**

**-**

**Do you think you can get your friend Yuuko to upload more videos of you on YouTube?**

**I need entertainment! I need inspiration! I need to see your face more than twice a year**

**on just on my nightstand!**

**-**

**Yuuri, I'm wasting away into nothing all the way over here!**

**-**

**I miss you!**

**Victor.**

**-**

**P.S. I forgot to ask if you've ever read Naruto? I found it at a bookstore last**

**week and bought the first twenty volumes immediately! It's great! I also found**

**out it's been made into an anime!**

**-**

**P.P.S. I got you a bracelet today! It matches mine, but has my name on it in**

**Cyrillic! The one I'm wearing has your name on it in Kanji! They're both blue**

**and pink. I hope you like it!**

**-**

**P.P.P.S. I am aware that I keep adding things, but I also keep forgetting to tell**

**you stuff, sorry.**

**-**

**So I've already chosen my theme and music for next year! I thought I'd remind**

**you so you can prepare ahead of time too! Also, my exhibition for Worlds is going**

**to be awesome! It's to the song, 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. It's a really long song and**

**Yakov wouldn't let me skate to the whole thing, but it'll still be cool!**

**-**

**So my challenge for you is to come up with a better exhibition routine and song**

**than mine!**

**-**

**Now I can officially say that this letter is over!**

**-**

**P.P.P.P.S. I know what I said above, but I just had to add that I believe with**

**everything in me that you'll win at Junior Worlds.**

**-**

**I didn't do anything to make you who you are, Yuuri. That pure excellence**

**is all you. _Your_ drive and ambition. _Your_ skills. _You_. But thank you for your**

**words. :)**

* * *

Yuuri stared up at the bright lights of the arena.

It had been a stressful six days. Two hundred plus entrants into Junior Worlds, and two other Japanese skaters to skate against. Thankfully, Yuuri had gotten a good look at both of them back at Nationals. They hadn't registered as a threat to him because they hadn't met the criteria Yuuri had created, which was to compare them to Victor.

There was a meter in Yuuri's bedroom. It was how he determined how close he was to reaching Victor's level. Yuuri gauged Victor's level of skill compared to his own, so he knew where he lie in terms of skill.

The two skaters didn't reach Yuuri's or Victor's levels. But even though they didn't seem like threats, Yuuri had kept his eyes on them. After all, like _he_ had, _they_ could bust out a sudden move that no one expected, in order to get a better score. And if Yuuri had to change jump composition again, then he would.

**JUMPS:**

**VICTOR:** Triple Toe Loop by age 11, Quad by age 13.

 **YUURI:** Triple Toe Loop by age 13, Quad by age 14.

 **VICTOR:** Triple Loop by age age 12.

 **YUURI:** Triple Loop by age 15.

 **VICTOR:** Triple Salchow by age 13, Quad by age 15.

 **YUURI:** Triple Salchow by age 16, Quad by age 17.

 **VICTOR:** Triple Flip by age 15, Quad by age 21.

 **YUURI:** Triple Flip by age 16.

 **VICTOR:** Triple Lutz by age 16.

 **YUURI:** Triple Lutz by age 15.

 **VICTOR:** Triple Axel by age 16.

 **YUURI:** Triple Axel by age 15.

**SPINS:**

**VICTOR:** Level 3 Spins by age 16, Level 4 by age 18.

 **YUURI:** Level 3 Spins by age 15, Level 4 by age 16.

**STEPS:**

**VICTOR:** Level 3 Steps by age 16, Level 4 by age 19.

 **YUURI:** Level 3 Steps by age 15, Level 4 by age 17.

**SPIRALS:**

**VICTOR:** Level 3 Spirals by age 18, Level 4 by age 19.

 **YUURI:** Level 3 Spirals by age 15, Level 4 by age 16.

**OFFICIAL MEDALS:**

**|VICTOR|**

1 Silver & 4 Gold at the JGPF.

2 Silver & 1 Gold at Junior Worlds.

2 Silver & 3 Gold at Russian Junior Nationals.

4 Gold Junior Worlds.

1 Bronze, 2 Silver, & 1 Gold at the GPF.

1 Bronze, 1 Silver, & 1 Gold at Russian Nationals.

1 Bronze, 1 Silver, & 1 Gold at the ESC.

2 Silver at Worlds.

**|YUURI|**

2 Bronze & 1 Gold at Japan Junior Nationals.

1 Gold at the JGPF.

1 Gold at Junior Worlds.

The levels were very obvious, and Yuuri had a lot of work ahead of him in order to catch up to Victor. As he was incredibly competitive by nature, he wouldn't lay down and let anyone ruin his chance of becoming as good as Victor. Not even his fellow countryman. Even if they were more than a year old than he was.

He ended up changing jump composition anyway, just because he wanted to make sure he got as many base points as possible.

Gold at his first Junior Worlds. He hoped Victor would be proud.

Sometimes Yuuri wondered at how he'd lived for the approval of his ballet instructor, and how that yearning changed once he got to knew Victor Nikiforov.

Yuuri smiled calmly in the face of the cameras, doing as Victor suggested and envisioning everyone in the most hideous, full diapers he could think of. He ended up biting his tongue lest he laugh in the face of the judges and spectators.

Minako-sensei greeted him with a hug and a wide smile. "Your family will be so proud of you!" she screamed in his ear as she practically broke his back with her ridiculously powerful hug.

"We might even need to start getting a case for all your gold medals!"

Yuuri flushed. "Sensei, that is so unnecessary!" he whined. "I only have three gold medals so far."

"And you'll continue to get them, meaning we'll need to display them at the inn! Do you know what this means? Not only are you following your contract with Asahi, but you're also bringing tourists to Hasetsu! You might just be the reason our little town returns to what it used to be!"

He hadn't thought of that, but _she_ seemed to have given it a lot of thought.

Hasetsu could certainly use it. So in the end there would be more benefiting from this than just Yuuri. It made him feel a lot better.

He couldn't wait to write to Victor and see what he had to say about Junior Worlds. He only hoped that his gala performance was good enough.

But Thriller was a pretty well known song so he _should_ be able to get the audience into it, so that would be fine.

* * *

Yuuri's face had turned at least ten shades of red by the time he walked in the door at home. Minako-sensei had made him wear his gold medal from the train station, to the house. They'd walked instead of taking Mari up on her offer to pick them up. Meaning everyone they passed wanted a photo with him or at least wanted to shake his hand.

And his mother was the most proud person, even if she didn't fully understand figure skating. She still hurried on over to congratulate him and squeeze the life out of him.

"That's an extra large bowl of katsudon, Yuuri-kun!" she had cheered. In response, the entire dining hall of the inn erupted in cheers and well wishes from the patrons who no doubt had been watching the performance all those days ago.

Yuuri bowed respectfully and thanked them for their encouragement.

Thankfully, he was saved from any embarrassing moments by Vic-chan, who had decided that he wanted some attention finally.

With pup in arm, Yuuri headed for his room where he proceeded to collapse on his bed, Victor barking at almost being squished.

He'd done it! His first time at the JGPF and he won gold. His first time at Junior Worlds and he won gold. His third time at Japan's Junior Nationals and he finally won gold. That was a wonderful turnout for him and he would swear for the rest of his life, that Victor deserved the credit.

He wasn't allowed to rest for very long because Yuuko and Nishigori had decided to pay him a visit, and his tiny room with his Victor Nikiforov paraphernalia, was suddenly filled.

"You did so well!" Yuuko cheered as she stared at his small figurine that was holding his three new gold medals. "You'll start a collection worthy of Victor himself soon!"

Nishigori scoffed. "If he wants to catch up to Nikiforov, he'll have to enter the Senior Division next year."

Damn. Entering then would be right in the middle of his growth. It wasn't as if his body was going to hold off for a few years. He was already dealing with growing pains.

"How is Victor doing, by the way?"

"He's moody and dramatic," Yuuri murmured fondly, thinking of the letters they'd been sharing. "His coach wants him to work, but he wants to play. And instead of just doing as he's told, he just sort of runs off for a while in retaliation."

A roll of the eyes accompanied the statement. "Victor would have done well in an American soap opera."

Yuuko giggled. "You seem to have gotten used to each other pretty quickly."

"Yeah. Oh! He wants me to ask you if you plan on adding more videos of my performances to your channel. He follows you now."

Her jaw dropped and she looked to her husband who couldn't suppress his sigh.

"Victor Nikiforov follows my YouTube channel!"

When she began bouncing up and down as was customary for her, Nishigori steadied her and said, "Be careful."

"Takeshi, it's not that far along to cause any damage. I'm fine."

Yuuri looked between them, wondering what was wrong with Yuuko jumping up and down like she usually did.

"Yuu-kun, we wanted to tell you the news and ask you a favor."

Both smiled at him and he could only nod slowly.

Yuuko beamed. "I'm pregnant with triplets!"

Nishigori face-palmed hard, the noise echoing in the small room.

Yuuri's head tilted downward to stare at Yuuko's covered stomach that was being blocked by a large and billowing shirt.

"Four months in! They're due at the end of August or the beginning of September! So you'll be able to see them before going off to the American university!"

"And we wanted to ask if you wouldn't mind being an uncle figure to them?" Nishigori asked, face serious. "Neither Yuuko or I have siblings or cousins, or aunts and uncles. And only my father is still alive, but you never know when something could happen. So we wondered that if something were to happen to us, if you could take the children in? We don't want them taken away from our family and our home here in Hasetsu."

His jaw dropped.

It was a big deal. And he was kind of confused over why they'd ask _him_ and not his parents or his sister.

Yuuri as an uncle. He'd never considered such a title because Mari wasn't looking for romance, so he never thought he'd have nieces or nephews. But Yuuko was very much like a sibling to him. She and Takeshi had been all he had while growing up.

"If you'll have me, then sure."

Yuuko launched herself at him. "Thanks, Yuu-kun! You're the best friend everyone needs!"

The chances of something happening to either of them were low. But in case, Yuuri should probably start saving up.

A little every day would go a long way.

Though he really hoped nothing happened to his friends.

* * *

**Victor!**

**-**

**Yuuko and Takeshi are having triplets! Meaning that there will be three**

**identical babies coming soon. How are we going to tell them all apart?**

**Can you marker babies? Or would that be harmful to their skin? Maybe**

**get individual bracelets for them when they, you know, come out.**

**-**

**This is awkward.**

**-**

**Yeah.**

**-**

**Anyway, congratulations on another gold! I knew you could do it! And your**

**exhibition was so cool! Not as cool as mine was, but pretty awesome!**

**-**

**Hint: Never challenge me! I don't back down! Also, I just happened to pick**

**up the synchronized skating tips from the ice shows, and I was able to put**

**together a small performance with the girls. They seemed really happy to**

**do more than collect fallen flowers and toys.**

**-**

**I wanted to let you know that I finally have an email address! It's**

**katsudonki1 ********* . com! We can send faster messages now! And**

**pictures! And links!**

**-**

**This could get serious!**

**-**

**I think we'll have to minimize how many messages we send each other**

**during the week. Between training and planning for next season, we won't**

**have a lot of time on our hands. :(**

**-**

**Attached to my letter, you'll find a long list of manga that I suggest you read!**

**If you liked Naruto, than these will make your day!**

**-**

**Waiting patiently to see a reply,**

**Yuuri!**

**-**

**P.S. You aren't the only person to get really excited when writing letters. I**

**used to make an outline, but then it was taking too long and I got lazy.**

**-**

**P.P.S. Vic-chan had to get his shots updated. He's angry with me and won't**

**let me hug him. I think I have to get him a treat or a new toy if I want**

**cuddles again. :( You don't realize how attached you are to your forever**

**friend until they're unhappy with you and avoid you.**

**-**

**P.P.P.S. I've decided to attend the American university and will be moving**

**in September. I'm kind of scared, but I think this will be good for me. I can**

**only hope that my eventual growth spurt will happen quickly. Celestino**

**said something about relearning everything and I don't want to have to**

**struggle.**

**-**

**P.P.P.P.S. I'm just as bad at this as you are at this! ^-^**

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

**Check out my other fics!**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my many other YOI fics! This is Part 2 of my Valentine Bundle!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri moves to America and has to get used to his new life in the States. Victor is a good friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -You'll find out what the Exhibition their bet is over, is in the next chapter. I got a good laugh when I came to mind! ^-^
> 
> -Yuuri will not be perfectly capable of understanding his new surroundings. So I figured highlighting some of his struggles with language and people would be a good thing.
> 
> -These two are adorable.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Yuri on Ice.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

 

 

**To: victoristhekingoftheice******** . com                                                    Yesterday at 8:04 PM**

_Hi!_

_I'm not sure I'm doing this right._

**Victor <Nikiforov victoristhekingoftheice******* . com>                                Today at 12:13 AM  
** **To: Katsuki Yūri**

 _You did it! I'm so happy that we can converse this way! It's so much faster than writing  
_ _out long letters, though writing to you had to be one of the best things I've ever done,  
_ _so I don't regret the pains in my hand from it!_

 _Still, we can actually put **emphasis** on our words without having to underline them  
_ _roughly or make them bigger than the other words. Which means our meaning will  
_ _come across better!_

_I'm so excited! 3 3 3 ^-^_

**Katsuki <Yūri katsudonki1********* . com>                                                     Today at 6:19 AM  
** **To: Victor Nikiforov**

 _Actually, it **is** a lot easier to send emails to one another, because if we begin composing one,  
_ _we can always save it in the draft folder in case we're pulled away too quickly. And there is  
_ _less of a chance of it being destroyed on accident that way. Also, our Post Scripts won't be  
_ _as prevalent because we can just go back up into our email and add what we want, in there  
_ _somewhere._

_That'll make me feel better at least. Even if 'P.S.' was fun._

_What I think is most beneficial for us now is that we can send each other videos, photos and  
_ _links._ _So if you want to recommend songs to me, you can actually send them this way instead  
_ _of_ _waiting a week for me to get a list. And we can listen together as we type back and forth._

_I look forward to our conversations, Victor. Please take care of me._

* * *

Yuuri stared up at the man who would be his official figure skating coach for the next few years. Celestino Cialdini. Yuuri had been skeptical of course, because he was moving across the world to attend a foreign school and to work beside people he didn't know.

Thankfully, he now had an email address, so he could message his family back home, and talk with Victor if he needed to. So he wouldn't be completely alone in this adventure, but that didn't stop him from being worried and a little scared of what was to come.

"Yuuri, it's good to have you!" Celestino greeted, a smile on his face. His Italian accent was thick.

He gave a small bow. "It's good to see you again, coach."

'Coach'. He was going to have to get used to calling the man that.

"I'll be escorting you around the campus for the upcoming future. And if you need any help, you can come to me. We do have many guidance counselors around here, and two who are fluent in Japanese if you would wish to speak with them instead, however."

Even though Yuuri probably wouldn't want to speak to anyone in such a manner, the knowledge of there _being_ someone around who spoke his mother tongue, made him feel a lot better.

"There will have to be a discussion in the near future about your paperwork and your student visa. There have been no complications, so you don't need to worry, but it is customary for the students to be up to date with their personal information in regards to the university itself. This will happen every three months, and a notice will go out so that everyone can handle their individual situations on their own time."

Yuuri whistled. At least they kept a form of order. He remembered the paperwork and the application in order to get the visa, which had been a bit of a struggle due to his English not being so perfect yet. If it had been a verbal only application, he would have done it faster.

Celestino smiled. "I think you'll enjoy it here in Detroit. It'll take some getting used to, but it'll be worth it. The rink is half a mile from the campus, and the campus skating club spend their time there on specific days every week. I'm sure you'll like the activities they get up to."

His stomach flipped a little at the thought of conversing with people he didn't know. Social anxiety was an issue of his ever since he'd been little. But he was not the same person anymore. Ever since meeting Victor, he'd changed enough to be more comfortable with himself and his environment. And he knew that in order to make something of himself, he had to put himself out there.

And he could do that. A little at a time at least.

* * *

 **To: victoristhekingoftheice******** . com                                                          Today at 4:13 PM  
** **The University**

 _So I got to go on a tour of the university today. The campus is rather large and I almost  
__had a heart attack at the thought of having to walk it every day! Thankfully, they have  
__these cute little things called 'shuttle busses' that can take the students from_ **Point A** to  
**Point B**. They're green and large with white and golden Ws on the sides.

_I also saw a lot of students using bicycles and 'scooters' to get around._

_I downloaded the photos I took with my camera, and attached them to this document.  
_ _And there are a lot of photos. I'm going to get lost. I even have a map and I know I'm  
_ _going to get lost!_

 _But I'm going to try and make my own map for my schedule, because I don't have the  
_ _same classes every day, so I'll be taking different routes to get around._

 _There are a lot of statues and plaques around the grounds. Some of them a very colorful,  
_ _so I think I'm going to use them as guides._

 _There's the Big W, the Copper Coin, and the Useless Bridge. And I mean it's useless. There  
_ _is no water beneath it. Someone simply set a bridge up for no reason. These are the  
_ _nicknames I have for them because I couldn't understand the actual names._

_The colors are a bit horrendous, but it's nothing I can't handle. You'll see in the photos._

_I'll be meeting the members of the skating club tomorrow and I'm a little scared but I  
_ _just hope that I don't want to punch anyone and that it's over quickly. Sometimes I don't  
_ _mesh well with other people._

_Hope you're having more fun than I am at present._

_Celestino wants to begin practice on Saturday, so I have a little while to acclimate myself  
_ _to me new surroundings._

 _My dorm room is empty save for myself and what little I brought with me, which wasn't much.  
_ _I did get to do some small shopping, and I bought a cactus for my desk, and a few 'cubbies'  
_ _for my things. I can truly decorate later, when I feel more at home I guess._

_I think I'm homesick._

_:(_

_Anyway, Minako-sensei and I worked on two programs for the upcoming season before I left,  
_ _and I will be showing them to Celestino in order to get his opinion. He's most likely going to  
_ _want to refine them as much as possible in the next two months. Whatever we can get done  
_ _in that amount of time at least._

_I just hope these growing pains stop soon. It's a bit annoying having to take pain relievers so_

_often. I don't want to become dependent on them._

* * *

Victor frowned at the email he'd received from Yuuri. He'd looked over all of the photos and he could understand to an extent just why the other was so worried. It looked like it was going to take forever to memorize his way around the campus! How was he going to manage all of that _and_ train for the upcoming skating season?

He had schoolwork to do, training, memorization, and his own feelings to work with.

Victor had to think of something to lighten the mood. Something to make Yuuri happy.

After all, he was far away from home, and he was alone for the most part. He couldn't even bring his poodle with him! If that wasn't bad enough, then everything else piled on top of him had to be rough on his fragile heart.

Victor set to typing a reply.

 **Victor Nikiforov <victoristhekingoftheice******* . com>                                 Today at 11:19 AM  
** **To: Katsuki Yūri**

 _I'm always here if you want to talk, Yuuri! Never forget that. I might not know what you're  
_ _going through but I can try my best to be as supportive as you need me to be!_

 _And because I am such an amazing friend to you, I decided that we should have a little bet!  
_ _If you can manage to ratify the Quad Lutz before I do, I will choreograph an_ _Exhibition,  
_ _to this song!_

**[Link]**

_If you don't, then you have to choreograph an Exhibition to it and then perform it!_

_And this is a good bet because I'm seriously considering wearing a skirt if you manage to do  
_ _the Lutz before I do. I have nice legs, I would look good in a short skirt. I look good in almost  
_ _anything really._

 _By the way, this applies to this season and any following seasons until one of us gets it! Won't  
_ _it be fun! It would be cute and a bit of a shock for those who are familiar with our styles! :)_

 _If neither of us get it, then we just have to save the special Exhibition until the time we need it.  
_ _Meaning you'll have to have two Exhibitions choreographed, but that shouldn't be too hard for you!  
_ _You've got a lot of skill and can come up with something easily!_

 _I can't wait to see you at the GPF! I'm going to show you around Quebec City! I've been  
_ _there many times before and I can't wait to show you everything I saw when I went there  
_ _the first time! You need to try the poutine I had. You will love it!_

_I wish you good luck in your upcoming practices!_

Smiling to himself, Victor nodded. It was a good thing to get Yuuri's mind off of his worries.

A challenge. And Yuuri didn't like losing, so this would be perfect for them.

He only hoped that it worked.

* * *

Yuuri flushed under the speculation of the people in the skating club. All of them were fans of figure skating to some degree, and one of them noticed him immediately when he walked into the room beside his new coach.

"Katsuki Yuuri is going to be using this rink as his main rink for now?!"

He backed up a bit, unsure of how to take the very sudden question. He also couldn't tell if it was asked because the person was happy or angry. This was why he avoided people he didn't know. It was so hard to determine their feelings and reactions.

The others of the group turned to look at the one girl who had blurted out her question. The look she sent them could probably cut diamonds, it was so sharp.

"He's Japan's ace skater!" she went on to inform them. "He won gold in the Junior Grand Prix Final, Japan Junior Nationals, and Junior Worlds last season! He's considered their best skater and he isn't even in the Senior Division yet!"

Of course Yuuri flushed as someone other than himself pointed out his accomplishments. It hadn't seemed like too much of a big deal to him after he got used to the idea, but the way she had worded it made him sound more amazing than he truly was.

The others though, were looking at him expectantly now.

He gave an embarrassed wave of the hand, unsure of how to react in the situation. Everyone he'd bowed to kept sending him odd looks, so he didn't know if it would be weird to continue bowing out of habit, or to stifle the urge and just shake hands with everyone as expected.

"Are you entering the Senior Division this year or are you staying in Juniors for another year?"

Celestino thankfully cut in then, reminding the group that Yuuri was new and that he didn't know who any of them are, which prompted introductions and many confusing moments as the group of students began using slang he was unfamiliar with.

Eventually, Yuuri managed to get the point.

He was apparently awesome for being an international skater with gold to prove his worth.

He was 'dope'.

* * *

Spontaneously choreographing an extra Exhibition routine was a bit difficult, not that it wasn't accomplished within the month. Of all the songs to choose from though. Yuuri hoped that he won so he didn't have to do it. But then again… it could be fun.

And if Victor was willing to wear a skirt during his take on it, then Yuuri could do it too. Besides, his legs were nicer than Victor's were. A simple fact. His legs were more shapely, and as he'd been watching Victor for years, he knew enough about the other's body to know which points Victor outclassed him in.

Legs were probably the only area Yuuri held the lead in and he was damn proud of that fact.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Celestino asked him one day when Yuuri was busy during figure eights because he was trying to think of how to make the routine interesting. Or at least _more_ interesting.

"I am," he reassured the man. "It's a nice challenge, and Victor wanted to help me focus on something so my anxiety doesn't get a chance to step in a ruin things."

It was a sweet gesture, proving how amazing Victor really was as a person. No matter what anyone said about him in the tabloids or online, Yuuri knew personally who Victor really was, and he was proud to be friends with the man.

"So long as you're fine with it," Celestino said with a shrug. "Though I think you should do more spirals and spins. You are exceptional at those and from what I remember of the show, the characters in question had a lot of twirls with their long legs."

His jaw dropped and he stared at his coach in shock.

"You watched-"

"My daughter loves it! I ended up seeing a lot."

Who knew?

* * *

Yuuri had to turn a little as he looked at himself in the mirror. Getting this outfit made had been a good idea as it would flow really well with the challenge Exhibition. He only hoped that Victor liked it. Even if he never skated it, he would at least take photos and send them should he end up being the one to learn the Quad Lutz first.

The woman whom had created said costume, didn't for a second look at him as though he was odd. She simply smiled and offered to take the photos for him, allowing him to strike a few poses in front of a solid white wall in the back of the shop. His embarrassment was barely contained, but only because he was really focused on how good his legs looked. There was a bit of confidence from that.

It might actually be a shame if he didn't get to skate in the costume. The fabric felt nice against his bare thighs and he really looked good in the skirt. Years of ballet and skating had paid off in more than one area it seemed.

So not only Victor could pull a skirt off. Yuuri could too.

This broadened ideas for future costumes.

He was glad.

* * *

 **Katsuki Yūri <katsudonki1********* . com>                                                      Today at 2:39 PM  
** **To: Victor Nikiforov**

 _Victor, I wanted you to be able to hear this song! It made me cry a bit and I thought it  
_ _was sweet._

[[LINK]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVUHWCynig) \- _Music_

[[LINK]](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/beyonceknowles/halo.html) \- _Lyrics_

 _I really think you'll like it. It's one of those thought provoking songs. And it really made  
_ _me think about life._

 _One of the members of the skating club introduced me to it. She had it blasting as she was  
_ _practicing her spins the other day, and I can't get it out of my head! It would be a nice  
_ _instrumental to skate to in competition. Or a good Exhibition for a small group._

 _I've got my costume for the MD Exhibition finished and I must say that I look good in it.  
_ _Though I haven't actually made any ground on the Quad Lutz, but that isn't going to stop  
_ _me! While I won't mind skating in the costume, I still want to beat you. It's something I've  
_ _always wanted to do in some way._

 _I **am** feeling homesick, but I think I'm getting better. Mari was able to send me some photos  
_ _of Vic-chan,_ _so it not as if they're too far away in general. I can contact them any time I want  
_ _to._

 _Thank you for being here and being so open about everything. It's made it a lot easier  
_ _for me to calm down._

 _I got my assignments! I'll be participating in the Cup of Austria and the Tallinn Cup. I've  
_ _never been to Austria or Estonia, so this will be a learning experience. Celestino has been  
_ _to both before, so I don't have to panic over not knowing what to do or where to go. He's  
_ _been doing this for years, so I finally learn how to handle it myself so he doesn't need to hold  
_ _my hand!_

 _I'm sending you something in the mail! I saw it at a local chop and I thought that is spoke of  
_ _you perfectly. I have one too. Hopefully you haven't changed your mobile phone yet. And  
_ _that's the only hint you're getting! ^-^_

_I'm learning American slang. Specifically, Detroit slang._

_They don't pronounce every single syllable, or so I've learned. My English instructor had been  
_ _very insistent about pronouncing everything properly, but I couldn't understand half of what  
_ _people were saying during my first week here because simple phrases like 'did you eat' and  
_ _'kind of' become 'jaeat' and 'kinna'._

 _And the accents cause them to say the words differently, even if they pronounce everything  
_ _correctly. So understandably, I was lost in translation._

 _I was given a book on American slang and colloquialisms in order to make it easier on myself.  
_ _It's over 200 pages long. I'm not looking forward to it. But I am on page thirty-four and have  
_ _highlighted all the ones I recognize from my peers. So far._

 _To me, it doesn't seem as if it's going to make anything easier. At least not right away.  
_ _In any case, I'll just have to get used to it and hope for the best._

 _Can't wait for December! We have to go out for dinner once we meet up, okay! Celestino  
_ _is aware that we're friends so he knows not to worry when I'm with you!_

 _And if it's not too much trouble, do you think you can recommend some music for me to  
_ _listen to while I'm studying and practicing? I want to know what your interests are, and  
_ _they might help_ _keep me sane while over here._

_Seems only you have that ability, huh? ^-^_

* * *

"Vitya, you need to practice your routine more!"

"But I have to nail this jump!" he protested. "I'm so close!"

"You have two months to practice it, but your first Short Program of the season is next week and you should be focusing more on your routines at present instead of some silly challenge."

Victor gasped theatrically. "It is _not_ silly!"

It was very important to him, to be able to share this thing with Yuuri. This little game between them. It was something for them to share. Like their wristbands.

"You need to practice your routines more Vitya. You are unfamiliar with this style and it would be best to get in as much practice as you can. Level 4 you may be, you are still shaky in execution."

He sighed.

"Fine."

He could work on the Quad Lutz later.

* * *

"Mr. Nikiforov," the reporter began, "is there a specific reason for your sudden change in dynamic this season? Your music is very different from your usual choices and I could tell that the story was more soft than what you usually perform to."

Victor was beaming at the camera, and Yuuri's breath halted just a tad. Enough to make a difference.

Victor's face was on the screen, looking charming as ever and more beautiful than Yuuri felt he remembered. His memory didn't do Victor any justice it seemed.

"There is a new well of inspiration in my life and I might have taken some cues from it." His smile was enchanting and Yuuri could only smirk as the other members of the skating club, all sighed at how 'dreamy' Victor was being.

The woman holding the microphone, tilted her head slightly and then asked, "Would that well of inspiration happen to be Japan's ace, Katsuki Yuuri?"

As if one body, all the heads in the room snapped toward Yuuri, who had shrunk in on himself a bit at the sudden attention. He never once looked away from the screen, but he could feel their eyes and curiosity. Could feel their desire to know what was going on.

But Victor was on the television and was talking about him.

"Yuuri is my friend. I find him to be so inspiring and I decided that as he has what I lack, I should take a few pointers and apply what I see when I watch him perform, to myself. Those spins were all Yuuri," Victor said proudly, beaming at the woman whose mouth was slightly agape at his honesty.

Yuuri _had_ noticed the slight difference in the execution. How could he not when he'd trained himself for years to notice all the nuances of Victor's behavior. He knew when Victor was unhappy but was smiling for the crowd. He knew when the other was angry, but was hiding it behind poor humor.

He saw those things for what they were. And this had been an obvious change to him, though he didn't know why.

But now it made sense, and he felt a sort of thrill run down his spine at the thought of it. Victor had drawn inspiration from Katsuki Yuuri of all people? He'd gladly admitted so on international television and smiled for the world to see.

He took whatever he saw in Yuuri's presentation, and applied it to his own routines. He said that Yuuri had something he lacked, which had been so confusing, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized.

They were the perfect match.

Victor owned TES no matter where he was. And Yuuri took the lead in PCS any time. Both were good at something the other wasn't so good at. Like how Victor learned almost all of his jumps much earlier than Yuuri did, but how Yuuri reached the appropriate level in his steps, spins, and spirals, long before Victor had.

It was like a give and take between them. A 'buddy system' as Yuuri had recently learned. Both benefited somehow from their friendship.

And Victor had just told the world.

"Do you believe that skater Katsuki will make it to the JGPF?" the reporter went on to ask.

Victor nodded firmly. "Of course he will! It's Yuuri! And if anyone deserves to win the JGPF it's him! I can't wait for when he beats my World Record for the Junior Short. He already beat my Free score!"

Yuuri's face was overcome with another flush. Victor's strong support and his obvious delight in the thought of Yuuri winning, made butterflies erupt in his stomach. And then for him to boldly claim that he believed that Yuuri was going to take over the new World Record again.

He could cry. If he wasn't in public, Yuuri would have been bawling in his hands uncontrollably. But this was not the time for that. He had hours yet before he would return to his lonely dorm.

And by then he'll have mentally comprised an email that held all of his feelings.

* * *

 **To: victoristhekingoftheice******** . com                                                          Today at 7:13 PM  
** **You**

 _Sometimes I'm completely blown away by you as a person. I sit here and I wonder over  
_ _how you can possibly be a person that exists. You're just so amazing and inspiring and I  
_ _can't help but feel unworthy of your friendship, yet at the same time I'm thankful that  
_ _you see something in me that no one else does._

 _That my support base is more obvious thanks to your words. That my anxiety is more  
_ _controlled now that I'm more aware of my life and surroundings._

 _I'm crying as I type this. I hope you understand the kind of effect you have on me. You  
_ _are the greatest thing to have ever happened in my life, Victor. I wouldn't trade you for  
_ _anything in the world._

_Thank you._

Getting his feelings out this way made his feel a lot more comfortable. Yuuri nodded to

himself and clicked the 'Send' button, feeling a lot more confident.

While he was perfectly fine, he was a lot better now than he was before.

* * *

 

**A/N: Another is done!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

**Check out my other fics!**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my many other YOI fics!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So comes the beginning of the official figure skating season and the start of the Grand Prix Final!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Our children are fluffy and cute!
> 
> -Victor's theme is 'Hope'. His Short Program is River Flows in You and his Free Program is Hope. Both by Yiruma. Yuuri's theme is 'Freedom'. His Short Program is Flight of the Bumblebee and his Free Program is part of the 2nd Movement of Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
> 
> -Poutine is to die for and I highly suggest it to everyone!
> 
> -I may be following the timeline and settings of the Grand Prix Finals from 2010 and up, but the timing of the individual skates are different in my fic.
> 
> -And unexpected surprise at the end! It isn't good for everyone to forget that there are other characters in the story. Even the characters themselves can't forget it. Don't worry, I have a plan!

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Yuri on Ice.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

**To: victoristhekingoftheice******** . com                                          Today at 3:09 PM  
** **Grand Prix Final**

_I figured that I should send you this now so that you aren't wondering._

**This is my Short Program.**

[[LINK]](https://youtu.be/vtAu7xkwNjQ)

**This is my Free Program.**

[[LINK]](https://youtu.be/PpKZ1-xCNhM?list=LLuPHC6YThL1eE3oUUtHgWpA)

_After your little revelation of how I inspired your theme this season 'Hope', I thought_   
_I should tell you that my theme was inspired by you as well. My theme is 'Freedom'_   
_and like how you incorporated my spins and spirals into your routines, I've actually_   
_been working on my jumps a lot so they'll get technically perfect scores._

**My list of Quads:**

**_Toe-Loop_ **

**_Salchow_ **

_I'm working on the Quad Loop currently. I two-foot the landing all the time though,_ _so_  
it doesn't really count. I've stopped touching the ice though, so that means that I've   
_progressed quite a lot since I started in the early summer. Maybe I'll manage to ratify_   
_the Quad Loop too. Here's to hoping._

* * *

Victor was seated in the darkness of his lounge, Makka curled up beside him on the sofa. The television was the only source of light in the room, and he was busy chewing on his lip as he waited for his favorite person to show up. Said person being Yuuri.

Yuuri's message to him after Victor's first victory of the season, had been enough to make him cry. Just a little bit. Victor wasn't used to crying because rarely in his life had he ever been given a reason to shed tears, so it had been an unexpected but not unwelcome reaction to such kind words.

Victor had even gone so far as to star the email itself and save it to his laptop so that he could never lose it. He even printed out a copy just to be certain and had it folded in the pocket of his favorite trench coat. And if he needed inspiration, all he had to do was look at it for a moment and remember that Yuuri looked up to him and thought the world of him.

Many people who came and went in Victor's life, had thought similar things, but never before had they affected Victor thus. Strange. Yuuri thought Victor held some kind of power over him that no one else did, but Victor couldn't help but feel that it was the other way around.

Yuuri was to be performing in the second group. First up. Victor didn't have to worry much because Yuuri would be calm in the face of this line up. He hadn't had to go first overall, so this would keep him levelheaded.

Thankfully, the Cup of Austria was being broadcasted on live television, so Victor was actually able to watch it. On his lap was a notepad so that he could mark down all the things that he personally believed Yuuri needed to work on in order to improve himself.

That was a new thing between them. Sharing information on how to skate better.

Victor appreciated Yuuri's honesty and he only wanted Yuuri to be at his best. So a list of his flaws was in due order.

" **Next on the ice, representing Japan, is Katsuki Yuuri!** " the voice of the one announcer sounded, robotic and familiar.

The other announcer, proceeded to introduce Yuuri more clearly.

" **Katsuki is seventeen and is in what he claims to be his last season as a Junior. He would have joined the Senior Division this year had he had more time under the scope of his new coach, Celestino Cialdini. However, with graduating high school and moving across the world for university and training this summer, there wasn't enough time and he said that he didn't feel ready.** "

" **Indeed. Katsuki is now being trained by a former professional skater, so let's see if his performance has been affected by what little training they've gotten in together.** "

Yuuri was bedecked in a two piece outfit that fit him very well. The trousers were black and reached up to the waist, where the color lightened considerably, morphing from black to brown, to orange, and then to a bright and sunny yellow.

The sleeves - which had built in gloves already - had been dyed a similar way, so should he raise his arms, the yellow would continue upward, lightening in color and ending at the fingertips which were white.

His hair, which had grown out past his mid-back by now, was pulled back in a ponytail, which had been braided and then wound up until it made a bun. Victor could easily imagine the amount of pins and hair product currently holding the style in place.

As he fingered his own long locks, he had to nod. The dedication it took for long hair, was troublesome at times. Finding pins in your hair several days later, even though you had been certain you'd gotten all of them, was so annoying!

Yuuri's right hand was extended upward, as if welcoming a bird to come and land on his outstretched fingers. If only props weren't banned in competition, he probably could have told his story a lot easier.

But the whole point was to tell the story through your own movements, which was why music with lyrics wasn't allowed yet. But maybe someday they would be. Victor had so many ideas when that day came. He couldn't wait for it actually.

Flight of the Bumblebee was a well known piece of music all over the world. It had been played in every arrangement possible and in every film possible. The one of Yuuri's choosing was primarily a violin with an orchestral accompaniment.

A fast song by nature, Yuuri didn't have much time to accomplish the needed requirements. Less than a minute and a half.

But he did it somehow. Victor could tell just by watching that Yuuri had been putting a lot of work into his speed in order to fit in his Triple Lutz-Triple Toe, his Triple Axel, and his Quad Toe-Triple Toe in with his steps and spins. There were no spirals save for the fan spiral into the Triple Axel.

He'd focused more on technicality than on presentation. Yet Victor knew his PCS would be pretty high anyway, because that was how Yuuri skated, even when putting more focus on other parts of his skating.

Still, he'd kept up with the music and owned the routine. When he stepped off the ice, it was to thunderous applause and a beaming coach.

Victor smiled as he noticed the poodle tissue box Yuuri's coach was holding. He almost cheered, but withheld the urge because Makka was comfortable and he didn't want to upset her in any way.

" **The score for Katsuki Yuuri is 77.23.** "

" **That's a new personal best for Katsuki as well as 1.98 points more than Victor Nikiforov's former World Record for the Junior Men's Short Program! Katsuki now holds the new record!** "

He couldn't wait to send Yuuri an email, gushing over the fact that he'd set a new World Record! Just as Victor had predicted he would!

He couldn't wait for Yuuri's Free Skate! He wondered what the Junior had up his sleeve.

* * *

Yuuri took a deep breath and nodded to himself, imagining that Victor was standing at the barrier, shouting encouragements at him. He wanted to surprise Victor. He wanted to do more than expected of him, because to him, it would be like an early birthday gift for Victor.

One more time. And if he didn't make it today, he'd wait until tomorrow to try again.

Blocking out everyone else, Yuuri went for the jump… and landed it!

"That was a Quad Lutz!" one of his fellow club members yelled out, confirming that he wasn't imaging it. He had finally managed to land the Quad Lutz!

He, Katsuki Yuuri, actually managed to land a Quad Lutz!

He turned to Celestino, waiting for the man to give him the critique that he needed.

"Your landing was a little shaky, but as it's your first time landing it, that can be excused. You have all the time in the world right now, to perfect it. Marlene, did you get that on video?" the man asked, looking across the rink to one of the other skaters who was holding up a camcorder.

She nodded. "Yes, coach! You can rewatch it and give him the pointers he needs!"

The next few minutes were filled with Celestino telling him how he did.

His landing had obviously been shaky as his ankle had twitched and his balance had been disturbed. He over-rotated a little. Less than half a rotation, but it was obvious enough to be worth a deduction. His height wasn't as high as it could have been because he didn't bend his knees enough. If he had gotten enough air, he probably would have landed better.

Still, he landed it! He would have to work extra hard on it in order to make it count for the Junior Grand Prix Final, but he would do it! Then he could surprise Victor with it!

"I want you to work on the Loop now. Let's see if you can land a Quad too."

Nodding, Yuuri took off, rounding the rink once in order to prepare himself for another attempt at the Quad Loop.

So long as he could ratify one of them, he didn't care which one. But it would be pretty cool if he could do both. No one had ever ratified two Quad jumps before.

He two-footed the landing.

"Take a break. Try again in a few minutes!"

"Yes, coach!"

* * *

**Victor Nikiforov <victoristhekingoftheice******* . com>                   Today at 2:00 AM  
** **To: Katsuki Yuri**

_Yuuri, I'm so proud of you! You beat my Short Program score! I knew you could do it_   
_and as always, I'm proven right. People shouldn't argue with me when I obviously know_   
_what I'm talking about. I'm awesome._

_Also, your choice in music makes me think of mine. Mine was inspired by you, so I_   
_chose two songs from the same Asian man. And you chose two songs from the same_   
_Russian man. It might seem like I was reaching, but South Korea is close to Japan,_   
_and the music was so nice that I couldn't help it!_

_Now, on your routines, I'm going to enumerate the things I noticed that you will have to_   
_work on._

**SP:**

**1.**

_You have certainly improved your speed, but in doing so you've taken away from your_  
_performance. You're known for incredible PCS, and because you had to focus so much on  
_ _your speed, you couldn't fit as many detailed step sequences into your routine._

_Your spins are a lot faster which allows you to get in and out quickly, but at the same time,_   
_you stumbled when coming out of the Biellmann because you were moving too fast for even_   
_yourself to keep up with._

_You'll need to work on that, and as a suggestion, try finding a rendition of the song with_   
_perhaps twenty more seconds. You could really use the time. Less than a minute and a_   
_half isn't enough._

**2.**

_Your Triple Axel is executed wonderfully from the fan spiral, and your Quad Toe-Triple Toe_   
_is phenomenal as always. Your problem was the Triple-Triple combo. Shocking, as it's actually_   
_easier, however, I noticed that on the Lutz, you over-rotated. I would assume that it's because_   
_we're both practicing for the Quad and you might have gotten used to the feeling, but I would_   
_advise separating them so your body doesn't work against you._

_Unfortunately, your TES lowered because of that._

_If you had skated to perfection, you would have scored above 80 easily. So take this in and try_   
_to do what you can before the JGPF._

**3.**

_Your costume looks tight in the shoulders. You seemed to be trying really hard to move your_   
_arms. Either that is faulty creation, or you are still growing. How tall were you the last time we_   
_saw each other? 165cm?_

**FS:**

**1.**

_I noticed that you backlogged your program with the harder jumps in order to increase your_   
_points of difficulty, which I happily approve of, even if I don't do it personally. It takes a certain_   
_amount of fortitude and stamina to do that._

_It's ambitious of you to put the Quad-Triple combo at the end, and to precede it with a Quad_   
_jump and a Triple-Single-Triple combo. Your jumps were a lot better for your Free Skate and_   
_I'm not exactly sure why that is, but I couldn't really find fault except in your Quad Salchow's_   
_landing. You're still shaking._

_If you managed to learn the Quad Lutz and would like to add that to your program, I implore_   
_you to think carefully on where you'll put it. Your program is intense for a Junior skater and_   
_while I like how daring you are in your jump compositions, I don't want you to hurt yourself._

_Winning is nice and all, but your health is very important. Yakov doesn't let me backlog my_   
_programs because my stamina isn't as good as yours and I could hurt myself. And just because_   
_you have the stamina, doesn't mean you should push yourself too hard._

_After all, if you practice your jumps when you're exhausted, you'll just learn them wrong._

**2.**

_Your theme of 'Freedom' came across a lot better in this program. You seemed like you were_   
_rushing in your SP, but in this one, the song was much longer and allowed you to add in more_   
_elements that you excel at. Such as those beautiful spins and spirals._

_Your limberness astounds me at times. I can't transition as well as you, which is why a lot of_   
_my training as of late has focused on my spins and steps. You have a style all your own, even_   
_if it is obviously lightly inspired by mine. You took what you saw, applied it to yourself and made_   
_it your own. And now I'm taking what I see of you, and making it **my** own._

_I've noticed that you are good at the more difficult entries for your jumps, such as the Triple_   
_Axel from the layback Ina Bauer. That was inspiring and makes me want to try it! You took_   
_one of Yuna Kim's signature moves and improved it!_

_Your ballet training shows when you perform, but what I noticed is how you seem to rely only_   
_on influences from that and nothing else._

_This isn't exactly a problem really, but an observation._

_Try taking some dance classes in other types of dance. I draw inspiration from all types of dance_   
_styles, and I think you could grow as a skater if you did the same._

_Overall, I was impressed with your performance and that 155.62 was well deserved! ^-^_

_I'm looking forward to seeing you in person soon._

_I have a list of places that we're going to go to! I'm so excited!_

_Also, did you notice any problems in my Short and Free Programs? I'm willing to listen to your_   
_observations and critiques._

_Make sure that you bring warm clothing for Canada. Around this time of year it can get into_   
_the negatives really quickly. Or we should just share a scarf if you'd like! ^-*_

_And make sure that you check your mail in the coming days!_

* * *

Yuuri's jaw dropped when he realized the size of the large, brown box that he had found waiting in front of his door. From the words on the sticker, he could tell it was Amazon ordered, meaning it had to be what Victor had been talking about in his last email.

It was big enough to hold a fridge, but not wide enough to be an actual fridge.

The man who had delivered it held out a small pad and asked for his signature, which he sloppily wrote in both English and Japanese just to be sure.

The box was wheeled into his dorm room and deposited in the middle of the floor. The delivery man left without a word.

What the hell had Victor sent him?

Would it be considered pathetic, if he were to admit to not having a pair of scissors?

His room key would do. And he needed to remember to get himself some scissors.

The clear _riiiiiiiip_ of the tape was satisfying in a way. Like stepping on fresh, untainted snow. Ruining something nice without there being consequences. He needed a more interesting life if this was going to be the height of his entertainment.

He ended up having to stand on a chair because the box was up to his nose and he could barely see inside of it.

Another box.

Deciding that the first box wasn't important, Yuuri just shoved his key into the one corner and began to saw downward as quickly as he could until he had enough to grab and tear on his own.

Two boxes actually. Smaller, and actually labeled with the Amazon logo.

The first box contained partially formed cubes and two large metal rods that could be connected to a mesh net. After a look at the instruction booklet, he learned that they were a set meant to create more space. Once the rods were connected,he could hang them on the wall like a scroll. And the cubes each had an opening, for him to place things in. On the backs were small clips so they could be attached to the net.

It was a cubby system of varying shades of blue. And it allowed for him to decorate however he wanted them to be placed, instead of forcing just one idea.

He'd been thinking of getting one, but now he didn't have to because Victor had done it for him.

The second box, much smaller than the first, held a small orange bag, and a folded up hoodie. The hoodie had a picture of both Yuuri and Victor on it, their arms around each other as they sent victory signs to the camera. It was from the GPF the former year, after they both won.

He might have cooed at it and gently set it aside on his bed.

The bag had some balloons smattered across the front, with a card singing happy birthday to him. Right. His birthday was in a few days. Victor had remembered his birthday and he hadn't.

The card held an envelope which he learned was full of gift cards to American shops. Nearby shops. He had to sit back and wonder over how Victor had got his hands on so many different gift cards.

He also ended up smothering himself with a pillow in hopes of controlling the urge to scream. Whether Victor realized it or not, he'd just given Yuuri almost a thousand US dollars worth of gift cards. To restaurants, shops, and even theaters.

Did he not comprehend the idea of saving money?

And why was he so generous? Yuuri's birthday wasn't anything important!

Of course the card claimed otherwise, telling him - in Victor's own hand even - that he was an amazing inspiration and that Victor was 'so glad he was born'.

He was grateful, but now he didn't know what to get Victor for his birthday. How did he top this?

* * *

"Yuuri!"

Victor threw his arms around the slim shoulders of his younger friend and nuzzled into Yuuri's clean hair. Even if they hadn't met in person many times, it was still good to see the other and to feel his warmth. That yes, Katsuki Yuuri was a real person whom Victor Nikiforov was actually friends with. And while Yuuri admired him and probably hero worshiped him a bit, he didn't want Victor's fame or money. He simply wanted Victor.

Many times in his life had he been mocked for 'having poor taste in friends' and Victor didn't think that was true. He had Yuuri after all. Victor was simply too positive for his own good sometimes, and preferred to think the best of others before thinking the worst.

"I wanted to thank you in person for my birthday gift, and this was all I can think of right now," said Yuuri, pushing Victor away slightly much to the man's disappointment.

Although, that changed quickly when Yuuri soft and warm lips pressed against the apple of his cheek, warming the chilled area instantly. He would swear that his face was tingling, should anyone actually ask him about it.

"You deserve the best, because you're the best, Yuuri," Victor said softly. "Of course I was going to give you something worthy of you."

The flush he got in response was adorable, and Victor beamed, wrapping his arms around the other again in order to get in more hugging time.

The insistent clearing of someone's throat broke them apart unfortunately, and Victor found himself looking into the eyes of Celestino Cialdini, who seemed to be judging him. Something in those eyes just screamed judgement, and Victor wasn't sure of what to do.

"Mr. Nikiforov," the man began, voice smooth and accent thick, "we need to actually check in before you kidnap my skater."

With great reluctance, Victor stepped away from Yuuri, noting how red his slightly pudgy cheeks were.

"My apologies, Mr. Cialdini. Yuuri has my number, so if he needs me he can just message me."

He ruffled Yuuri's hair before leaving, wondering just what he could do to pass the time before he could take Yuuri out to eat.

* * *

"Now, I know he's your friend, but he's about to turn twenty-two. He's a grown man with… experience. You cannot blame me for being concerned for you."

Yuuri stared at his coach, mystified at what he believed he was being told. The way Celestino watched Victor. The way he talked about him. It was as if Celestino did not trust Victor or something. It sounded like something his sister had tried to say once when she thought Yuuri had a crush on someone at school.

A 'shovel talk', as his Detroit contemporaries called it.

"Victor isn't _that_ immature," Yuuri tried reasoning, knowing that claiming he wasn't at all would be a lie. He was talking about the man who splurged hundreds of rubles on hair products alone. When it _mattered_ , Victor was very mature and inspiring.

"I will have to agree, however you are just freshly turned eighteen and the legal drinking age of Quebec is eighteen. Russia doesn't even have a drinking age. If he wants to get any form of alcohol, please consider the next few days and what it means for _you_. He's probably used to drinking, but you've never had anything beyond a sip of sake at New Years in the past two years."

Yuuri flushed, wondering how the man even knew that.

"Minako told me."

Oh. Always at it with the meddling.

"Victor wouldn't jeopardize himself by drinking to excess before a competition. And he wouldn't try to get me to do it either. He's better than that."

Celestino didn't see convinced, which made him bristle a little at the lack of faith in his friend.

The man sighed. "Anything can happen, especially in a foreign territory. You have my number. I want you to call me twice and to be in the hotel by eleven. There is an early morning practice tomorrow and it would be preferable for you to get as much time as you can before you rest for the competition."

"Yes, coach," Yuuri agreed quietly.

At least it gave he and Victor five hours together. A lot could happen in five hours, and as Victor was the one who had planned whatever their outings would be, and the man had almost limitless energy when excited, he had no doubt they'd be able to accomplish a lot in five hours if going by Victor's timing.

"Don't forget your coat, scarf, hat, and gloves. You should put on an extra pair of socks before you go."

Celestino's parental side was coming out. Yuuri bore it with a small smile and a complacent nod. If only to get out of the room faster.

* * *

"This is _so_ unhealthy!" Yuuri hissed even though he was currently reaching to dip his french fry in the greasy mixture of gravy and cheese curds.

Victor was honest with his intentions. He decided to take Yuuri out for a 'tour'. And it actually _was_ one, just not the official one that took place on the weekends. Apparently, there was a type of food tour where you could book yourself a place in a group that went around trying food from the best eateries in Quebec. The original tour took place on weekends and unfortunately, their weekend was taken up by the Final, meaning there would be no chance before leaving, to go on the tour.

So Victor in his infinite wisdom, went through the website, checked out the tour locations, and decided they'd just try the best thing on the menu of each eatery. And so they sat, eating poutine and probably breaking their diets ten times over.

It was worth it. It couldn't get any better.

"I got us a table at a nearby restaurant that sells your katsudon."

Forget it, _this_ couldn't get any better.

* * *

On the first day of competition, the singles for the men were to compete first. And what happened?

Christophe Giacometti was set to skate first in his bracket, with Victor skating third. And what did the soon-to-be twenty year old do?

" **Christophe Giacometti just landed the first ever Quadruple Lutz in competition!** "

Victor and Yuuri shared a commiserating look of defeat. They hadn't planned for _that_.

* * *

 

**A/N: Another is done!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

**Check out my other fics!**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my many other YOI fics!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Final has arrived!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -As everyone seemed to guess, despite the fact that I gave next to NO HINTS, our boys made a bet over the Sailor Moon theme, Moonlight Densetsu. It was inspired by Evgenia Medvedeva's Sailor Moon GALA performance, which is linked below. EDIT: Evgenia refined the Exhibition and performed it again, so I linked that performance as well.
> 
> -Fluff in the skating and practicing. I love the both of them!
> 
> -Once again, things have changed in this fic. It is not canon nor is it real life. I thought I gave enough warning ahead of time but apparently not. Someone was whining about how Yuuri isn't a realistic Junior, but I counter with Yuuri is almost too old to be a Junior anyway. Most are already Seniors by his age and have begun harder training. So him slotting into the age group isn't that off, jfc I get some dumb reviewers at times.
> 
> I thought telling everyone that this is fanfic would have kind of explained the fact that I don't strictly follow all ISU guidelines or YOI canon events. If you'll bitch me out for a Junior doing a Quad, but not for a men's skater having long hair(which isn't allowed by ISU regulations, which YOI ignored obviously), then you should point out all the problems the show ignored. There are so many rules and regulations the show ignored that many apparently aren't aware of yet. You don't get to be selective in being a douche. If you're so uppity about 'maintaining real life expectancy' then focus on the whole show and not just one fanfic.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Yuri!!! on Ice.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**[EVGENIA MEDVEDEVA'S SAILOR MOON PERFORMANCE!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSkWZlNRd0U&t=2s) **

[EVGENIA MEDVEDEVA'S REFINED AND MORE RECENT SAILOR MOON PERFORMANCE!](https://youtu.be/riHSCgHYUUc)

* * *

**~.O.~**

* * *

 

Christophe Giacometti stepped off the ice to a round of applause. He embraced his coach tightly and waved at the stands, garnering many shouts of excitement from his fans.

Both Yuuri and Victor had to clap because the blond had done amazingly and deserved it. They both had been foolish in forgetting that they were not the only skaters who wanted to make history. And as they had ignored the others in the competitions, it was only right that they be brought back down to Earth somehow.

After a few moments of sitting in the Kiss & Cry awaiting his score, Chris' face lit up with joy. The score had come in.

" **Christophe Giacometti has earned himself an 101.47 for his Short Program!** "

The audience lost their minds as Chris was congratulated by his coach.

He'd set a World Record by beating Victor's old record.

Victor cleared his throat. He was set to skate in the second bracket. First of course. "I simply have to score better. I managed to learn the Quad Lutz as well, and mine is toward the end."

Yuuri hissed internally, knowing that he was going to have to bring it if he wanted to make a splash.

Basically, three of them had learned a difficult jump. And it had been the set up that had determined who got to ratify it. If Victor had been set to skate before Chris, then he would have ratified the jump. If the Juniors were to skate first, than Yuuri would have.

Luck of the draw basically. But that didn't mean they couldn't make history in their own way. Three skaters - one being a Junior - doing the same Quad jump the same day it had been ratified, would be a big deal. So it was okay.

"I suppose I need to wish you good luck," said Yuuri, glancing at Victor whose face was set and determined.

The man smiled and reached for Yuuri's hand, lifting it to his lips in order to place a charming kiss on his knuckles. "If it's from you then I know I'll win."

Yuuri rolled his eyes. "Just go out there and set a new record already." Like Victor actually needed luck in order to win. He had skill and talent.

Victor's winked, his blue eyes sparkling as he turned and started heading for the rink where his coach was standing, looking annoyed but resigned.

Once the Senior Men finished, their Short Program, the Junior Men were to skate. Yuuri was set to skate in the first bracket, but in second thankfully. He still hated skating first.

Thanks to Victor's observations, he was able to get his music changed a little. And by that, he meant that he learned one of the girls in the skating club back in Detroit was an amateur disc jockey in her spare time, and she was able to work with the music he'd given her, changing it up and somehow giving it more energy even though she had lengthened the song by half a minute.

He couldn't wait for Victor to see him perform to it. Because Yuuri had taken his words into account and while it wasn't as classical anymore, it was still pretty cool.

And it might have caught his interest in newer types of music he hadn't considered before.

The guitar was awesome.

* * *

" **And now, representing Russia, Victor Nikiforov!** "

Victor skated out into the center of the rink, waving his hands at all the cheering people holding up signs with his name on them. His hair trailed behind him, shining in the light and no doubt making him stand out.

His Yuuri was standing off to the one side of the rink with his own coach. Yuuri was once again there in person to see him perform. This was much better than any of the years he'd been performing without even knowing Yuuri existed. Victor performed best when he had someone worth performing for.

Now he had Yuuri.

Hope was a song that made him feel warm and happy. When he'd heard it the first time, he made sure he had it saved to his one playlist used specifically to wind down after a long day of practice. After some time, he ended up searching more music by the same pianist, and expanded his list even further.

Yiruma had such nice music and being able to skate to any of it was a blessing.

So when the music began and a hush fell over the room, Victor waved his arms in an arc over his head, his feet moving to carry him in slow circles.

This program was about his footwork. He'd watched Yuuri's former programs very closely, taking close notice of his little habits and his preferred skating methods.

Yuuri liked to enter his jumps from difficult positions. He like spirals despite them not really being much of a requirement for the men. But then again, his Yuuri could fit so much into a program thanks to his amazing stamina and self-control on the ice.

When Victor had gone to Yakov with videos of Yuuri's performances and asked to focus more on what he knew he was lacking in, he knew he had shocked his coach of ten years. Because Victor being willing to admit to not being good at something had been a rare thing admittedly. He wasn't always willing to listen to critique after all.

In an effort to better himself, Victor re-enrolled himself in Lilia Baranovskaya's ballet classes in hopes of retaining some kind of knowledge from his younger years.

The woman had stared him down and demanded to know why he was so interested in ballet once again. To which Victor flushed to the tips of his ears and had to pull out his mobile so he could show her Yuuri's winning JGPF performance from the former year.

"That's my friend, Katsuki Yuuri. He didn't have a real coach, but his stand-in coach was his ballet instructor, who has been teaching him since he was four. They focus heavily on his steps, spins, and spirals because his ballet training makes every movement look so fluid and perfect. I know that I lack in those areas, so I thought I should take a note from Yuuri's book and make those the focal point of my routines for the upcoming season."

Lilia had been silent as he explained himself. She simply stared intently at the video, eyes narrowing upon seeing Minako-sensei receiving Yuuri at the Kiss & Cry.

"That boy was trained by a top notch ballerina for nearly fourteen years. You won't ever reach his skill level in what you are planning to do," the woman had told him bluntly. "You skipped out too early and at your age, you won't be able to catch up to him, but we can certainly refine you as best as possible."

And refine they did. She started him back at square one and made him work hard for it.

Victor had choreographed a winning routine. A routine that even got an approving nod from a former prima ballerina and current principal of the Bolshoi Ballet. The only issue was that his flexibility had hindered him a few times, making it harder to keep up with the moderately paced piano he was performing to.

But now Victor was capable of keeping up just fine, even if he couldn't perform a Biellmann spin the way Yuuri did, or if his fan spiral wasn't as high as it should have been. He was still able to do them and they were good enough for him to get high scores.

His jumps were a Quad Flip, a Triple Axel, and then a Quad Lutz. He'd replaced the Quad Toe-Double Toe in the beginning with his Quad Flip, and decided to put the Lutz at the end of the program in order to up his base value. Well... once he finally managed to get it down without falling, at least.

Victor unfortunately couldn't do a fancy entry into the jump because he needed his wits to be about himself in order to properly land the jump. Unlike either Axel or Flip, this wasn't always a clean landing and he would prefer to be safe than sorry. Especially since he had taken a leaf from Yuuri's book and decided to put a difficult jump at the very end of his routine.

Coming out of his step sequence, where he performed Yuuri's little move that had caused the ISU grief a while back, Victor easily slid into a camel spin, counting the rotations as he turned.

His Quad Flip garnered deafening applause, and his Triple Axel had better height than normal. The steps were enough to let him get his breath back, specifically because he needed it for that last jump.

Once in the clear, he skated across the ice, moving as if he was going for his now signature move, the Quad Flip. The jump he'd already done, which would obviously confuse people. Especially since he had submitted a very different program list than what he was skating.

The Flip and Lutz jumps were very similar in execution, with only the takeoff edge and sometimes the glide to differentiate from. So when he pushed off with the back outside edge instead of the back inside edge, he knew that he had most likely shocked many of his fellow competitors and the judges with his take off.

He landed just fine and couldn't help but smirk. The break of character was only a few seconds but it was _so_ worth it!

From there, he simply had to finished with a flying sit spin and stop once the music tapered off.

When Yakov greeted him at the barrier, his coach looked exasperated but was nodding. "You did well."

He withheld the urge to say 'I know' and simply moved to get his scores as the announcers determined that indeed, Victor had also landed a Quadruple Lutz.

" **The score for Victor Nikiforov is 104.73! A new personal best as well as a new World Record, taking the new lead from Christophe Giacometti!** "

A look in Chris' direction had him witnessing the blond heaving a massive sigh. Because Victor's Quad Flip put him over Chris' Quad Salchow.

He couldn't bring himself to feel bad for it.

* * *

"Are you sure that you want to do this? You don't have to do it now, you know. You can wait until you debut in the Seniors next year."

Yuuri considered his coach's words for a moment. He was right of course. Yuuri didn't actually _have_ to chance anything right now, but he felt that he had something to prove. He was the age that most Juniors moved up to Seniors, so basically he was a Senior in everything but title. As such, there was more at stake for his reputation.

He wanted to prove that he could handle it.

Besides, it would mean that he had four Quads under his belt at his age, and that was the most important thing presently.

His Short Program had been reworked with his new music and his recently mastered jumps. He'd been able to change his jump compilation from a Triple Lutz-Triple Toe, a Triple Axel, and a Quad Toe-Triple Toe, to a Quad Loop, and then added a Quad Lutz.

He _had_ to do it. And while they had prepared three versions of the same program, but with different jump compositions, he wanted to do the most technically difficult one. Yuuri wanted to prove that he was someone to look out for and just because he was still in Juniors, did not mean that he should be overlooked or ignored.

He wanted his Senior debut to be one to watch out for.

"I'm going to do it," he told his coach. "It's important for more than one reason."

Celestino looked dubious, but he said nothing more on the subject.

Yuuri was up after the American skater, Embry Mroz. He was fifteen and a bit mouthy, but certainly talented for his age. He came out with a score of 70.04, which was good, seeing as he had one quad in his program and he was pretty young. And it was literally only .08 points away from Yuuri's first personal best that he got at the qualifier in France last season.

Yuuri leaned against the barrier as he removed his guards and handed them over. One minute and fifty-two seconds to skate Flight of the Bumblebee with a refined program and a brighter outlook this time.

He could think about his and Victor's bet later. Right now, he was going to wow the audience and Victor as well.

" **Next on the ice, representing Japan, Katsuki Yuuri!** "

"Good luck," said Celestino with a nod of the head. "Don't forget to breathe."

Yuuri beamed. "Yes, coach."

* * *

"My Yuuri ratified the Quadruple Loop! I'm so proud of you! You managed it just in time for the Final!" Victor cheered as he wrapped Yuuri in a tight hug.

The man seemed a lot more excited than Yuuri had been. Though Yuuri couldn't blame him. Yuuri was currently in first for the Junior Men's, with a score of 79.90 over his head. A new personal best and World Record. All he had to do was bring it in the Free Skate and he would be able to win gold at his second JGPF. Like Victor had.

"I'm glad you're happy," Yuuri said, and he could feel the honesty in his own words.

"Of course I'm happy! You've proven me right! And now everyone knows who you are and they'll be watching you!"

Oh… _great_. Yuuri wanted people to realize that he was someone to watch out for, but at the same time, this was going to get him ridiculous amounts of attention. Attention that he didn't want.

Yuuri wasn't a fan of having people stare at him. He still had anxiety after all, and sometimes it hit harder than others. Like at three in the morning when he was trying to sleep. Or right before a competition.

"So, about our bet, what do we do now?" Yuuri asked, voicing the one thing both of them had been thinking about.

Victor beamed. "Want to skate together?"

Yuuri's face must have gone red at the implication that both he and Victor would be sharing the ice in order to skate to the same song together.

"You mean skating on opposite sides of the rink… or like melding the routines?"

Victor nodded excitedly, his long hair falling in his face. "We can both go out there and skate in our costumes, and shock everyone. It'll be so amazing!"

Wow. Dancing on the ice with Victor Nikiforov. It wasn't something he'd ever considered before, but he could totally get behind that.

"We don't have to come in tomorrow because neither of us has to skate. So we can find another rink and go there to practice!" said Victor, already pulling out his mobile. "I'm going to see if there is one nearby and if I can rent it out for the time being."

Apparently they would be skating together.

* * *

"You're so thin, Yuuri! I can lift you so high!"

Yuuri stared down at his friend. Victor's hands were at his waist, and the Russian was holding him up effortlessly. And while this was certainly a nice view, Yuuri had wanted to be the one to do the lifting. Unfortunately, his arm muscles weren't very well developed, so he couldn't get Victor more than a few inches off the ground for a few seconds.

Perhaps he should get a gym membership? And yes, he would be enrolling in local dance classes like Victor had suggested in his last email. It seemed that he would have to.

"I'm only 50kg, so I'm not shocked that you can lift me. You're like twenty-five kilograms more."

Victor shrugged. "I workout more."

Once Yuuri found himself placed back on the floor, he sent his friend a look. "Doing it here is fine and all. But can you do it on the ice? And should we even add a lift when we don't have someone here to guide us?"

Victor waved off his worries. "I watch Yakov coach his dancers and pairs all the time! I know enough of the basics. And you know enough about Ice Dancing that we can totally get this done in two days!"

While skeptical, Yuuri finally nodded.

"Fine. I only had two jumps in my routine. A Triple Axel and a Triple Flip."

"I had a Triple Axel and a Quad Flip. We could totally synchronize our jumps!"

Victor had this limitless energy to get easily excited over simple things. Yuuri thought it was cute in a sense. At least the man was happy. "That will take a lot of practice. However, I think we should work on melding our steps and spins. Those would be the most noticeable and intricate parts of the performance. Longer than the jumps will be, so we should focus more on synchronizing those."

"I will look to you for direction in that then! I would prefer someone who knows what they're doing, to be in charge."

Then why not get his coach to give them some advice?

He sighed. It would take a while and they couldn't afford to get hurt or wear themselves out before their Free Programs the next day.

They could practice the basics on the ice and back in one of their rooms, they could do some run throughs on normal flooring and without skates on.

It was a good thing the Exhibition didn't have to be ridiculously long or detailed.

"I want you to run through your program first. And then I will show you mine. From there, we can determine which parts should be kept and which should be tossed. And if we can, maybe we can combine certain elements for better presentation."

"I can't wait to see your costume!"

Neither could Yuuri. Especially since he was going to be styling his hair to match the character in question. It only took nine tries before he had finally gotten the shape right.

He wondered what Victor would do.

* * *

As expected, Victor ended up setting a new World Record and a personal best for the Free Program. He added the Quad Lutz to his program and once again amazed the audience.

Victor Nikiforov had exactly four Quads under his belt. At twenty-two, he was being considered a Living Legend of figure skating. No major injuries beyond a broken finger that he once competed and won with. Talent that some skaters could only dream of having. Basically, he was very deserving of the title bestowed upon him.

He also didn't really care about that. Maybe in another life, if he hadn't met Yuuri, he would have relished the fact that he was so famous, but with Yuuri as someone to look forward to, he really didn't feel like these sort of things were the most important any longer. Setting records was awesome as always, but what was even better, was the thought of Yuuri beating them a setting new records of his own.

So then Victor could try to beat _those_. And they could have fun trying to outdo each other.

Because Yuuri was only eighteen, and he had four Quads under his belt also. And while Yuuri claimed that he still had a list of things he had to do, versus what Victor could do, Yuuri was only eighteen very recently.

Yuuri managed to learn two different Quad jumps around the same time. That took a lot of dedication and practice. Especially since he was four years younger than Victor when he learned the Quad Lutz. Eighteen vs twenty-two. And Victor couldn't even _do_ the Quad Loop yet.

Yuuri learned two Quads at a younger age than Victor did, which was very impressive. He was also certain that Yuuri didn't realize just how amazing that was personally. He had merely mentioned the Loop in passing in one email a few months back and then he went ahead and performed it almost perfectly in his JGPF Short Program.

There had been no doubt that Victor would win this year. However next year… with Yuuri as a new contender for the gold medals and knowing that he also had four Quads under his belt, made for a very interesting future for the both of them.

Yuuri was skating last in the second bracket, and Victor knew that he was going to blow everyone away with his performance.

* * *

"I want you to take a deep breath and consider why you are here. You are worried, yes. You might be a little scared of the outcome, but you've worked really hard and no one can blame you if you don't win gold in this. You've had a difficult past few months."

That wasn't exactly a good excuse though. At least in Yuuri's opinion. If Victor had to move across the world and had to deal with the same things as Yuuri, he probably would come out winning. So Yuuri he wanted to be as good as Victor, and he needed to prove that something like changing locations and getting a real coach, wouldn't be enough to stunt his performance capability.

He was very much able.

Yes, he was nervous. It was a thing that happened. His hands got clammy and his stomach decided that being empty was the best decision possible. Yes, his heart was pounding in his ears, but he was also incredibly competitive and he wanted to prove himself.

Also… he might be showing off for Victor. A bit. Having Victor be proud of him was practically at the height of his list of needs in life. After writing him, meeting him, and getting to know him, this had seemed to come last but it certainly wasn't the least important.

He wanted to surprise him. He wanted to keep being inspiring. Victor thought of him as inspiration, and Yuuri wanted to prove that he was someone to be inspired by.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

It was for Victor. He was going to win gold for Victor.

And then tomorrow, he would skate beside Victor in their little Exhibition routine after a last minute practice.

Everything would be fine.

* * *

" **And now, skating to [Moonlight Densetsu](https://youtu.be/xklrcdAcsoE?list=LLuPHC6YThL1eE3oUUtHgWpA), this season's JGPF gold medalist, Katsuki Yuuri.** "

Yuuri bounced onto the ice with a smile. Draped over his form was a sailor style uniform that was incredibly loose and could be pulled off easily seeing as the skirt and shirt were each only held in place by two Velcro fasteners that came apart under the smallest amount of pressure.

His hair had been pulled up into two separate buns on either side of his head, the remaining hair hanging loosely behind him. His hair reached to his low back by now, so there was actually some length to his imitation. Victor's was longer while held up though.

The music sounded after a minute of him waiting, and he made a loop around the rink, alternating between simple footwork and smooth twizzles. The point of this part, was for Yuuri to show off his outfit and to act all coy in front of the audience.

By the time the first verse began, Yuuri was moving into a camel spin, taking the time to slide out of it in order to prep himself for the Triple Salchow that had decided to add in the beginning. The point of it though, wasn't to land properly because his skirt was supposed to get in the way. Also, his character was a 'klutz'.

At the end of the second line in the verse, Yuuri had to flub the jump in comical fashion, landing on his rear and doing an exaggerated motion of moving his head in wide circles, as if he was very confused.

As he did so, Victor appeared at his side, and he could hear the audience scream in shock. Victor shook his bun covered head at Yuuri and Yuuri grinned and shrugged. Without batting a lash, Victor leaned down and lifted Yuuri off the ice, twirling around thrice and setting him on his feet.

During the pre-chorus, Victor grabbed the fabric of Yuuri's skirt and tugged while Yuuri pulled his shirt apart, ripping both off to reveal the sailor scout uniform Sailor Moon was known for. Once free, the two tossed the clothing aside and linked hands, taking off for the other side of the rink.

They separated toward the center and rounded the other end of the rink from opposite sides. They crossed in the middle and moved into their Triple Axels during the chorus. A fan spiral entry to give them more flare. Both landed in sync which was honestly the best they could have hoped for considering they hadn't had much time to practice that part.

Once again, the two met in the center and Victor took Yuuri's hand in order to lead him in a small sequence around the rink, reminiscent of a Foxtrot. As they glided, Yuuri lifted his right leg behind himself and took hold of his skate. He braced himself as he was turned and lifted off the ice for a second time, Victor's left arm around his waist, his right arm holding Yuuri's left leg fully extended. It was an [Ice Dancing lift](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_skating_lifts#/media/File:Hajkova_%26_Vincour_Lift_-_2006_Skate_Canada.jpg), single foot on Victor's part, with Yuuri holding himself in the Biellmann position, parallel to the ice.

The particular dance lift was one of the easier ones for them to do, as neither felt adventurous enough to try something more difficult in their limited amount of time it took to combine routines. Yuuri was more flexible and while this one could have been done with _him_ lifting, Victor couldn't hold his body in that position as long as Yuuri could.

From there and their delicate return to the flat ice, they split up in order to give each other a chance to show off.

Victor took to a flying sit spin while Yuuri circled him several times, his leg extended behind himself in a Arabesque spiral.

As Victor returned to both feet, Yuuri moved into a Y spin, holding his skate easily above his head. Victor moved to mimic Yuuri then, but with a Biellmann spiral instead.

Their Triple Flip/Quad Flip came sooner after, and into the second chorus, both followed with the Katsuki. Yuuri's very own move that had been approved back in the summer.

Yuuri was skating beside Victor Nikiforov, and was being lifted by him for the third and final time that night.

For an ending - it was certainly a spectacular one for two people with no official history in Ice Dancing - [Yuuri was held over Victor's head](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_skating_lifts#/media/File:Dubreuil_%26_Lauzon_Lift_-_2006_Skate_Canada.jpg) and his job was to trust Victor to not to get dizzy and drop him. All he had to do was trust and keep his body rigid in position.

Everything would be fine.

* * *

**Victor Nikiforov and Katsuki Yuuri Skate an Exhibition Together!**

**Junior and Senior Grand Prix Gold Medalists Do an Ice Dance for Their Exhibition!**

**Surprise Exhibition by Victor Nikiforov and Katsuki Yuuri!**

_Early this evening, at the Grand Prix Final Exhibition in Quebec, Katsuki Yuuri's performance was_  
_seemingly interrupted by Victor Nikiforov. However, it was soon revealed that both had intended_  
_for the older skater to join in on the performance, when their costumes were revealed to be the_  
_same._

_In a surprise never before expected, the two skated to the Sailor Moon theme song together._

_When questioned later on, they both admitted to it having been part of a bet going on between them since_  
_before the beginning of the season. The Exhibition was proposed by Victor Nikiforov. If one managed to_  
_ratify the Quad Lutz first, the loser would have to skate to the song. When Christophe Giacometti ratified the_  
_jump in the Short Program, both decided that they would skate it together._

 _The decision to dress as Sailor Moon had been personal on either account, in order to sell the performance, accompanied by_  
_the trademark hairdo the character is known for, and the short skirt and red leggings._

_Both skaters looked good and pulled off the skirts better than even Sailor Moon herself could have!_

* * *

**Victor Nikiforov victoristhekingoftheice******* . com Today at 2:13 AM  
****To:** Katsuki Yuri

 _This email was sent before the GPF Free Program, but I wanted to make sure that you_  
_understand something important to me. It doesn't matter to me if you win gold. Yes,_  
_I would be very proud of you, but you don't need to get gold for me to be proud of you._  
_You just need to try your best and make sure that the skating you are showing to the_  
_world, is the skating that you are most comfortable with. That's all I need in order to_  
_be proud of you._

 _In the event that you do manage to win gold again, then I know it's because you put_  
_so much effort into this season despite all the drama in your life at present. And if you_  
_don't win gold, it shouldn't be the main goal in your life. Becoming a better skater and_  
_making the best of your career should be the most important. Winning gold isn't going_  
_to prove that you are better than a 'dime a dozen' figure skater. It's what you do to **get**_  
_the gold, that will be the proof. So even if you don't walk away with a gold medal draped_  
_around your neck, just know that the medal won't be what defines you._

 _Whatever happens in Quebec, I don't want you thinking that this will cause problems_  
_between us. I support you with everything I have and I look forward to competing with_  
_you in future competitions._

 _Thank you for being such an inspiration for me personally. And for making skating so_  
_much fun again!_

 _XOXO_  
_Victor_

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my many other YOI fics! ^-^


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri's life is changing little by little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Yuuri and Victor have to split up now and go back to their respective lives.
> 
> -Another part of my Easter Bundle!
> 
> -So, Yuuri enrolls in Pole Fitness and it's going to be a lot of work! XD Also, you might get some feels.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Yuri!!! on Ice.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

* * *

"I'm going to miss you, Yuuri! We won't be able to see each other in person but that doesn't mean our friendship isn't strong, okay? Don't be sad."

Though Victor was the one saying the inspirational words, he knew just from the hug alone, that he was feeling the effect of the incoming separation more than Yuuri was. Victor secretly was very needy and in his life, he could count on one hand, the people who allowed him to get overly friendly with them.

None of his rinkmates were the grabby sort. They didn't like hugs and affection as much as Victor did. So Victor had gotten used to not being able to get hugs as much as he wanted. His darling Makka ended up taking in what others refused to accept. And it had been perfectly fine for a long time, but now he had Yuuri and he wanted to get in as much cuddle time as he could.

He liked that Yuuri allowed him to get as many hugs as he wanted. Being so tactile had no doubt made the other partially uncomfortable, especially with his anxiety, but at the same time, he seemed to like getting hugs from Victor, so he didn't complain.

Yuuri was so tolerant and Victor loved it. It was like the universe knew that Victor would need someone like Yuuri in his life. He was very lucky.

"I'll be fine," Yuuri told him, not that he loosened his hold on Victor in any way. "Everything will be fine."

"I know. That doesn't mean that I don't worry about you though. I wish I could go and see you perform in person, but Yakov insists that I can just watch the television. But it won't be the same."

"Everything will be okay. I'll be watching you as well, so you have to do your best."

They lived in a world where an eighteen year old has to comfort an almost twenty-two year old, on separation. While he felt a little ridiculous, he couldn't bring himself to feel too bad over missing Yuuri before they had even split up yet. Because he would have to settle for emails and photos until they could be reunited once again and they just weren't enough once he'd had a taste of the real thing.

"Yuuri, we need to catch our flight," said Celestino Cialdini. And maybe somewhere deep down, Victor was a little put out and bitter that the man had to take his friend away so soon. It wasn't fair and Victor wasn't always a pleasant person to everyone. But he withheld the sneer because he didn't want to disappoint Yuuri in any way.

At least he had Yuuri take a bunch of photos with him in order to have more to remember him by.

"Don't forget to email me when you get back, okay?"

Yuuri's guileless eyes were bright as he said, "I would never forget you, Victor."

With that promise to carry him through, Victor relinquished his hold on his young friend and returned to his coach's side.

Victor had become accustomed to saying goodbye in his long career, and he wasn't going to let this simply thing get him down. Besides, he could literally stare at his mobile for hours to see Yuuri's face. And when he got home he would show Makka and brag about Yuuri.

"Vitya, we have to leave now."

"I know."

Victor turned back once, just in time to see that Yuuri had also turned to look back. Their gazes connected for a moment, but it was enough. The other grinned at him and gave a small wave, before following his coach, his bag and hair trailing behind him.

* * *

Yuuri was trying to keep himself seated. He was waiting outside the studio of his new class. As Victor had suggested, he'd decided to sign up for a dance class that wasn't ballet centric. And so he'd gone searching, and ended up finding an interesting one that require flexibility and a lot of physical strength.

The thing was, it was a class on pole fitness. Pole dancing to be specific. Yuuri had taken a look at his expenses. He'd calculated how much money he had, how much he could afford to spend, and realized that he would be able to take the classes for an entire term without issue.

The reason Yuuri had decided to go with a class that would otherwise make him feel uncomfortable and would probably make his mother faint if she ever heard of it, was because there was more being offered than just classes on how to manipulate one's body around a pole.

Yoga, belly dancing, ballet, and hip hop would be interspersed within the lessons, which would broaden his experience and allow him to get a feel for other dance styles.

He also had to get a gym membership since he planned on strengthening his upper body. After Victor holding him up in those two lifts, Yuuri had been adamant in building his upper body strength because he hadn't been able to lift Victor much and it had made him a little grumpy.

Yuuri was enrolled into the Level 1 class. The instructor, whom had been very kind over the phone, had told him that while ballet was certainly something beneficial, he shouldn't try to jump into the more advanced pole classes when he wasn't used to them and had no experience. He'd been a bit reluctant, but decided that one month of the Level 1 as suggested, would be best.

He'd been given a list of clothing that were preferable to those in pole classes. He found himself favoring a 'tank top' and some 'shorts'. He'd been informed to leave any lotions or oils at home because they could pose a danger when doing any kind of pole workout. He could slip and break something, and it would interfere with how to properly learn.

It had been suggested that he have a friend join him at least for his first class so that he could be more calm in the new environment, but he wasn't comfortable asking any of the people in the skating club to come with him. They were all decent people, but he wasn't exactly friends with them yet, and they didn't know him well enough.

So Yuuri was braving this alone. He didn't _want_ to be alone, and a small part of him wanted to tell Victor, but at the same time he didn't know what the man would think. What was the opinion on pole fitness in Russia? What would he think if he knew that Yuuri was going to learn how to move the way pole dancers did?

It was embarrassing to consider, so Yuuri pushed those thoughts from his head and instead focused on other things. Like the fact that the studio they would be using would be open in four minutes and the class would begin ten minutes after that!

His bag had everything he was certain he would need. It was basically the same thing he brought with him to the ice rink. He had two bottles of water that were chilled. There was a new notebook for him to use in order to take notes of what he needed to improve on in the future. He had a change of clothes just in case something went wrong.

Yuuri's legs bounced as the clock ticked down, and he tried to ignore the fact that he was in a hallway with several other people. Women. Only women. It made him feel a little self-conscious seeing as he seemed to be the only man waiting for the studio to open.

No one made an effort to talk to him though, and he wasn't shocked to be getting odd looks. He was simply doing this to better his skating. He needed to become better. He needed to find some more confidence. He wanted to be competition that Victor deserved, and in order to do that, he had to shove aside his discomfort and give it his all.

And if it didn't work out here, he could always find another company and see how he fared in those classes.

Almost as one, the women in the hall all stood, their bags slung over their shoulders as they made their way toward the door he too was waiting for. Yuuri waited for everyone to go in ahead of him, so that he wasn't holding up the line in any way.

He was nervous. It was natural when doing something for the first time. He remembered his first ballet class. His first time on ice skates. His first time performing in a competition. The fluttering in the stomach would never _not_ happen when trying something new for the first time. It was like a right of passage. Not one that he liked, but one he certainly came to understand after so many years.

The room was large, and big enough to easily fit the seven other people he would be sharing this class with. There were more Beginners than he had expected there to be. The floor was spongy in a sense, but not enough to imbalance anyone. It would definitely be a lot better when falling. More forgiving than ice or hardwood had been to him over the years.

He watched quietly as the women around him began to stretch, talking to each other, proving that they were familiar with each other. He recognized the stretches, which proved that indeed, ballet did play some part in these lessons. Some of the women were more flexible than others were.

Yuuri placed his bag down and took a section of floor for himself, a good distance away from any of the poles or the others. He didn't look anyone in the eye, he simply removed his shoes and socks, and proceeded to stretch on his own, touching his knees, then his toes, and then the floor in front of his toes, all without bending his knees in the least. There was only a small burn in his hamstrings, proving that he had retained the flexibility expected of him as a ballet dancer.

The position was held for ten seconds, before he seated himself and began the steady warm up stretches he used to do all the time with Minako-sensei. One leg at a time, spreading them apart until he was able to lay his whole torso on the floor without an issue, arms outstretched and palms pressed flat to the floor.

He held for ten seconds, breathing deeply and feeling his back pop twice. It felt good.

Yuuri pushed himself back into a seated position, and leaned back on his tailbone as he brought his legs together, keeping them above the floor so that he resembled a V shape. His toes were pointed and he rested his hands on his knees.

The familiarity of the movements reminded him of Japan. The homesickness was going to hit him again if he didn't be careful with where his thoughts decided to wander.

The door to the room opened and everyone glanced over, seeing a woman enter. She was rather tall and slim, but also muscular, and was dressed in a similar outfit to everyone else. No shoes either. The pink on her shirt was bright against her dark skin, and her smile was whiter than any white Yuuri had ever seen before. Americans put a lot of stock into having white teeth, he had learned.

"Hello, class!" she greeted cheerfully, receiving a myriad of _hellos_ in response. Yuuri merely waved, not comfortable enough to speak when he didn't really have to.

"Today is a special day for us because we have a new student and our first ever man to join the class!"

Her name was Ayesha Hebert. She was considered the best Beginners instructor out of the entire company. Rarely did people quit her class, and the reviews on her training methods had been mostly praises. The only constructive criticism sent her way was by a few who thought she was too easy on the Beginners.

When she spoke of a new student, everyone's heads trailed over to Yuuri, who was in the far back of the room, a good distance between him and them. He didn't meet anyone's gaze, and he withheld the urge to wave awkwardly. He simply kept looking at the instructor, who _seemed_ friendly at least.

"Could you come up front for a moment?" the woman asked kindly, and Yuuri's stomach flipped. He would have to go and present himself in front of people. He hated doing that. It was liking meeting the skating club all over again.

Yuuri stood and padded on over to her side, realizing that he was shorter than she was, but not too much. He was five feet and seven inches tall, which was average. He wasn't short or anything. But he _did_ feel intimidated, which wasn't helping.

"Can we get your name, age, occupation, goals for this class, and dream for the future?" the woman asked while patting his back twice and stepping away in order to give him the floor. He did not _want_ the floor.

Thinking of Victor, Yuuri took a deep breath. "My name is Yuuri Katsuki and I'm an eighteen year old university student/certified competitive figure skater."

He fixed his eyes on the silver pole in the center of the room, and sighed. "This is my last year in the Junior Division, and a friend of mine in the Senior Division, told me that he draws inspiration from various dance styles in order to choreograph his own routines. He suggested I take up a dance class that isn't ballet so I could branch myself out too and that way I would be more prepared for the rigorous training that will accompany my jump into the Senior Division. Senior skaters are put under more pressure and have more expectations in their routines.

"My friend and I had a bet that whoever managed to ratify a certain jump first, the loser would perform an Exhibition skate to the Sailor Moon theme. Someone else managed to do it before us, so we combined our routines and skated together while dressed up as Sailor Moon. I wanted to be the one lifting him, but I couldn't even lift myself in a chin up, so he ended up doing the lifts. I was a bit put out, so I decided I wanted a dance class that focuses not only on the legs and abdominals, but also the arms."

He'd learned of a thing called 'word vomit' and he had a feeling he'd just done it, giving away far too much information for literally no reason! Anxiety was a trip and a half!

Ayesha was smiling though, so he didn't feel too much like an idiot.

"And your dream for your future?"

He almost said 'beating Victor at the GPF' but then he had to think about it. What was he looking forward to? He wanted to win, but there was more to that than just beating Victor.

"Um… My friend has been a famous skater for the past ten years, and he's the one who inspired me to skate competitively. I was ten when I saw him for the first time, and he was so amazing and beautiful and I wanted to be like him. I decided not to become a professional dancer that day, and I made it my goal to skate on the same ice as him. And somehow he has become my friend and he believes in me and thinks I'm 'inspirational', and I want to become the competition that he deserves as a gold medalist. And I want to prove that his faith in me isn't misplaced."

His throat felt tight by the time he finally shut up. He was also feeling a little emotional as he was heavily reminded of the email he'd found waiting in his email's inbox when he got back to Detroit after Junior Nationals, another gold around his neck. About how Victor was proud of him no matter what. It was a touching message and something that Victor had somehow known he would need.

Ayesha was smiling though and her hands came together a few times. She was clapping. Applauding him.

"It takes a lot of courage to admit these things in front of complete strangers, Mr. Katsuki. And classes like this are here to help you find courage and self-confidence as well as help you learn pole. You are meant to enjoy yourself here, and we as a group will work together to help each other build up the skills and confidence we need. You will be a wonderful addition to our class."

* * *

**To: victoristhekingoftheice******** . com                          Today at 3:09 PM**   
**Training and Stuff**

_I've finally done as you suggested and I decided to join a dance class._ _There  
are seven other people in the class and they are all women. The __instructor  
is also a woman. I don't feel brave enough to tell you the kind __of class that  
I'm taking, but suffice it to say that it's pretty tough in __some aspects while_  
easy in others. I like it though.

_In order to help myself to make this easier, I've also gotten a gym  
_ _membership with that one gift card you got me for my birthday. And it was_   
_almost as if you knew that I was going to need it. So thank you for that,_   
_you've increased the ease of my training and lessened the pain in my_   
_wallet. And I go to the gym every other day, while my Sundays are left_   
_free._

_My first day in the dance class was very awkward. I learned that the reason_   
_everyone seemed a little standoffish in the beginning was because there_   
_seems to be a history of men enrolling themselves into specific dance classes_   
_just so they can try to 'hit on' women. This was explained very quickly by the_   
_instructor as 'flirting'. The women aren't actually being assaulted. Most of the_   
_time._

_I can't blame them for being skeptical of me since I didn't attempt to talk to_   
_anyone at first and I wasn't very outspoken._

_After my introduction, where I might have talked about you a little too much,_   
_they seemed to warm up to me a lot. I was asked if I'm interested in men or_   
_women and I honestly never had to consider it before. So I stuttered out an, 'I_   
_don't know' and hid in the back of the room after that._

_I mean, I've never had a reason to really think about that kind of stuff before,_   
_so I didn't know what I was supposed to say. I've only ever thought of ballet_   
_and skating, so what do you do in situations like that?_

_Am I immature? They're all my age or a bit older and they've been in relationships_   
_before. One of them is on her fifth boyfriend. I've never even considered dating_   
_before now! They keep telling me that I'm 'adorable' but I kind of feel juvenile_   
_instead. And it's not a pleasant feeling. I'm not a child._

_A lot of yoga is incorporated into the class work. My history in ballet really helps_   
_me out in that area. While a lot of Beginners have to work on becoming flexible_   
_enough to do some of the more difficult moves, I'm actually ahead of all but one_   
_of my classmates in that regard. My splits are effortless still, which is great for me.  
And I get to spend less time stretching and more time practicing!_

_I think I've managed to reach a halt in my growth spurt finally. It's only taken_   
_several months. I can't possibly grow more than this. My parents aren't tall and_   
_we don't have a history of tall people on either side of the family so it's not as if_   
_I'm going to be like you are. I won't be hurting anymore and my costumes won't  
have to keep being modified to fit my bigger body._

_I really like my classes and according to the instructor, they will help build_   
_confidence. I would very much like that. And even in the smaller things, I can_   
_feel it._

_Dancing has always been something I pick up quickly. I have a sense of rhythm_   
_that has always helped me progress faster than my peers. It's helped me be more_   
_open, yet at the same time that confidence never branched out into other areas_   
_of my life._

_This time, as I'm applying my new knowledge and techniques to my figure skating,_   
_and figure skating is literally my life. So I find myself running through movements_   
_all the time, trying to fall into a particular mindset required during classes. And it's_   
_easier now than I thought it would be. But it also shows in how I take to the ice._

_Coach Celestino has taken notice and he approves of the subtle changes in my_   
_attitude. Apparently I was more vocal during our discussion about my Senior debut._   
_I decided that I wanted to help choreograph and I wanted to choose the music myself,_   
_which usually I avoided most of the time._

_I think this will be for my own betterment, and I can't wait to show you in person!_   
_Through a screen is never enough._

_Anyway, I have to go now. As of two weeks ago, I have been charged with making_   
_small routines for my new class and I have to practice while I can._

_The fact that I'm juggling school, skating, and dance now, is a miracle. I'm just so_   
_glad that the winnings from the competition have made it so that I don't have to_   
_get a part-time job right now. I wouldn't have any time to do anything if that were_   
_the case and then I'd be exhausted all the time and that would take away from my_   
_skating._

_Thank you for reading my rambling and for putting up with this. I wish I had more_   
_to tell you, but outside of school, which is boring, there isn't much to tell. Detroit is_   
_okay, but it would be more fun if I had more friends here and I was more open._

_But that's what these dance classes are supposed to help with! So we'll see eventually._

_I hope you got your birthday gift. It took forever to choose._

_Hoping to speak with you soon,_   
_Yuuri._

* * *

**Victor Nikiforov <victoristhekingoftheice******* . com>           Today at 12:13 AM**  
 **To:** Katsuki Yūri

_Yuuri, I'm so proud of you! You've come so far during these past two years_   
_and it's been a pleasure to see you grow as a young man. I remember you_   
_worrying over being too informal, and here we are, joking back and forth with_   
_each other!_

_Your performance at Nationals was impressive as expected. You finally ironed_   
_out all those pesky details and managed to give the performance I knew your_   
_were capable of. Also, none of your fellow countryman in the Juniors can do_   
_more than one Quad, which is a real big deal!_

_I can't wait for you to join Seniors! Then we can fight for the gold together!_

_I did get your gift and I love it! It was so cute and fluffy! And Makka has insisted_   
_on bringing it to bed with us every night since we got it. I don't know where you_   
_got a stuffed poodle the size of an actual poodle, but I am so happy to have it!_   
_It's like a Makka double!_

_You're my favorite person in the whole world, Yuuri!_

_As for the little bit in there about liking boys or girls, you don't have to think_   
_about it if it really makes you uncomfortable. Confront those things when you're_   
_ready. Just know that I won't judge you no matter what you decide for yourself.  
Nothing you could ever do would ever make me stop supporting you._

_I hope you don't mind that I'm going to be guessing at what type of dance class_   
_you've signed up for! ^-* I would think it would be something beneficial to you,_   
_so my first guess would be Ballroom. Many Ballroom dances require quick and light_   
_footwork and those could be a nice element added to your performances._

_Yakov is all annoyed with me because I've taken to leaving training half an hour_   
_early all so I can spend more time writing to you, or playing with Makka. Half an_   
_hour isn't going to cost me my career, and I don't have to worry about any_   
_competitions until Europeans rolls around. I just want to do fun things for the_   
_sake of fun for once!_

_We went out on a food only date in Quebec and that was perfect. I'd like to do_   
_more things like that in the future. I mean, the last time I had a date was that_   
_girl Marcia I told you about a year ago. And I didn't even get to see if a second_   
_date was possible, not that it was fun or anything, but the option would have  
been nice at least._

_And before then, I had dated a man whose name I'd prefer to forget. Just know_   
_that he was a bit of an ass at times, but he always praised me and I thought it_   
_was okay._

> _**First Lesson:** Don't let the praise cover up all the problems in the relationship! I_   
>  _should have known and I was foolish to have assumed it was fine behavior._
> 
> _**Second Lesson:** You shouldn't constantly live, wondering if you are about to get_   
>  _yelled at by your significant other. I was always 'walking on eggshells' in order to_   
>  _avoid infuriating him with anything I did._
> 
> _**Third Lesson:** If your significant other tries to guilt trip you all the time, they are _   
>  _not healthy for you. He had a habit of making me feel bad for doing anything I_   
>  _enjoyed._

_I learned these lessons the hard way, so as you're getting into that mentality of  
thinking _ _about love and sex, I want you to be safe and okay. And if someone  
breaks your _ _heart, tell me their name and I will rain down hell upon their heads._

_Anyway, I can't wait to read your next email. Please tell me if I guess your dance_   
_class correct?_

_Love_   
_Victor_

 

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

**Check out my other fics!**

**Ja ne! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my many other YOI fics! ^-^


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri's life is now taking interesting twists as he gets older and matures. He's finding out that being a Senior skater is a lot different than being a Novice or a Junior. And growing up comes with new information and a need for knowledge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I did the cover art. I've very happy with it!  
> -A lot of people don't seem to realize just how many figure skating competitions there are. Certainly more than National competitions and ISU competitions. As a lot of them don't allow Junior skaters, Yuuri will be doing a lot more come his Senior debut, which is why he's going out from the Juniors, in style!  
> -All the names I used for Yuuri's classmates are actual names from little girls/women I've met.  
> -Basic Pole Fitness looks like hell. I swear, I have bad knees and even the basic stuff looks like it would hurt my poor knees. I think I'm just weak.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Yuri!!! on Ice.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

****

**[Link to the DeviantArt Page.](http://whatthe18.deviantart.com/art/Correspondence-Cover-Art-673786996) **

**I already added this to the first chapter, but I'll keep it up until I'm sure everyone has seen it.**

* * *

 

 **To: victoristhekingoftheice******** . com Today at                                      12:16 AM**  
I Forgot To Tell You!

 _I meant to tell you about this in my last letter but I was so excited over my dance_  
_classes that I ended up wasting time and most of my letter on the topic. A lot more_  
_happened but for some reason I seemed to just forget everything that happened_  
_after the Final! I was too excited at the time, but I've calmed down now._

 _The Final was a lot more stressful than it had the right to be. I think it was just_  
_because I was so worried about landing either the Quad Loop or the Quad Lutz. I_  
_tend to get too anxious and then I just lose my grip on reality. Thankfully, you were_  
_there to keep me in the right state of mind. You're a great friend. ^-^_

 _After the Final, I ended up coming back to Detroit for almost two weeks where I had_  
_to work really hard to make up for the work I ended up missing. There was an exam_  
_and three essays I had to do, and to be honest, I hated all of them. School is the least_  
_fun thing in the world and I abhor the person who thought it was a good idea. And I_  
know that I won't be skating forever, but I just don't see how Management is going  
to help me in the future.

 _Anyway, I got to travel home because Nationals was coming up and I ended up doing_  
_more in that small week than I expected to. I'm telling you now because it only just_  
_occurred to me that I did so much work in such little time and I'm surprised I managed_  
_to handle all of it. I also want to tell you about all the exciting things that happen in my_  
_life because you're my friend and you make me feel comfortable enough to expand my  
reach as a person._

 

> **1.**
> 
> _Nationals was three days long. Official practices, training, skating, Exhibition(that got a_  
>  _lot of laughs btw), journalists, and the press conference. It was more than I was ready_  
>  _for, but I did it! And I didn't embarrass myself! I never stuttered or tripped. I just went  
>  in there and talked._
> 
> _That was the most important part. Keeping my head high and handling the masses._
> 
> **2.**
> 
> _I ended up having to go to a meeting with the JSF, which seemed to take forever! But we  
>  managed to get everything settled, which is good. We won't have to do it later._
> 
> **3.**
> 
> _A_ _t the last possible second, I got called in - and yes I was very shocked and really confused_  
>  _as to why **I** was chosen - to do a commercial for Asahi. Basically, I was put into a pair of new _  
>  _skates and asked to do some stunts while they filmed me. It wasn't a talking commercial_  
>  _thankfully, but I was warned ahead of time that I might have to do those in the future and_  
>  _I should prepare myself just in case._
> 
> _This time however, they just did some close up videos of my skates, and a few amazing  
>  takes of me doings some Level 3 spins and Triple jumps._
> 
> _Minako-sensei and Coach Celestino came with me. Both were like my guides just in case,_  
>  _despite both of them never doing anything like this before. I felt more relaxed with them  
>  there to support me._
> 
> _I promise I will send you a link to the commercial once it is released! The shots they got_  
>  looked _really good and when I think about it, I realize that my face is going to be on the_  
>  brand. It _didn't fully sink in until I was asked to skate for the commercial. My face is going  
>  to be on _ _billboards. It's kind of weird to think about honestly._
> 
> **4.**
> 
> _I did an interview for_ **Zash!**. I know, I somehow managed to fit all of this work into one week.  
>  Only once _did I actually get to enjoy the onsen at home and eat katsudon. My victory at_  
>  the GPF and Nationals _ensured that I got to have an Extra Large Bowl instead of the normal_  
>  bowls my mother usually _makes. I had to be extra good with what I ate for the rest of the_  
>  week though.
> 
> _Minako-sensei was there to hover over my shoulder should I need any inspiration to stay  
>  away from foods that were too fatty._
> 
> **5.**
> 
> _I also ended up doing a photo-shoot because - and you might have guessed already -_  
>  posters. _Thankfully it was all in front of a green screen so they'll just edit me into certain_  
>  backgrounds. _It wasn't that interesting in my opinion, simply because I couldn't actually_  
>  be on the ice while _posing. Something about not having the proper equipment ahead of  
>  time and that they'll fix that _ _issue in the future._
> 
> _I did a standing arabesque for like a minute before they finally got the angle they liked_  
>  the best. _Meanwhile, Minako-sensei stood by trying to encourage me into keeping form_  
>  and not giving up. _Modeling, even just a little bit, is really hard. I don't know how you can  
>  do it and seem so happy __all the time. It's stressful work and people who choose to do it_  
>  for a living deserve praise.

_Anyway, that was what happened while I was in Japan. More actually happened when I  
came back _ _to Detroit._

 _I got a Twitter account! It was under the suggestion of one the the skating club members_  
(Julia). So _my Twitter is_ **勝生 勇利 @Katsudon_Yūri**. I'm really proud of the name so don't  
make fun of it. This is _so I can connect with my fans better in order to follow that one_  
part of my contract with Asahi.

 _As for my dance class, I'm going out with a group of the girls tomorrow. They want to go_  
to Starbucks, _and then go to the movie theater. I haven't been to either, and your gift cards_  
from my birthday are _finally going to get used! Once again, thank you for looking out for me  
so much. It means a lot to my _ _wallet and myself._

_Anyway, those were the things that I wanted to catch you up on._

_As for anything super current, I have learned that walking in high heels is difficult. No, I will_  
not explain _why I tried. Just know that I hurt in places I wasn't sure could hurt before. But I  
think it was worth it _ _and I'm probably going to be doing it again. So wish me luck!_

_And I just remembered, you didn't guess the correct type of dance class. Try again! ^-*_

_Things have been fun on my end and I hope your side is just as fun! I also hope that you and_  
Makka are _doing well. Vic-chan was happy to see me and it made me sad that I couldn't bring  
him back with me. _ _Stupid dorm rules._

 _Can't wait to see you again!  
_ _Yuuri ^-^_

Victor smiled at the long list Yuuri had sent him. For someone new to the world of dealing with fame and social media, he was getting pretty good at handling the things being thrown at him. Victor was so proud of his Yuuri's progress!

Of course he frowned when he found out that he ended up guessing wrong for Yuuri's dance classes. But there were so many types of dance and he honestly had years ahead of him to guess. It could be a fun game between them. Maybe Yuuri was taking a class in Georgian Dance?

Victor would have to look into 'Twitter' and see what he could do about it.

"Makka, Yuuri wishes us well!"

_Woof!_

* * *

"So, Yuuri," began Amanda, as she stirred her 'Frappuccino', "what is it like being a figure skater?"

The other girls at the table, Leeandrea, Jailyn, and Haileigh, all leaned closer once that question was posed. Yuuri flushed, very well aware that he was the only one in the group who had a job that required international travel, as well as the youngest person. And he was alone with them all for the first time.

It was a bit intimidating.

He set his tea aside - he hadn't been brave enough to try one of those odd coffee drinks - and folded his hands nervously.

"It's difficult in the beginning," he admitted, thinking back to when Yuuko had to coach him through the motions of getting used to being on skates. Using the wall, the metal rails, and her hands as guides so he didn't fall and hurt himself.

"It is different than ballet. I started ballet when I was four, and I started skating when I was six. I didn't take it very seriously until I was ten. Before then I had learned some spins and spirals and I knew all the Single jumps, which was fine. My friend Yuuko loved finding routines and learning them with me, and we would pretend to be the skater in question and do their choreography.

"Yuuko found Victor first and showed him to me. It was the video of him setting the World Record at the Junior World Championships. I wanted to do it like him and that was when my training started seriously. All those little things I could do were not good enough. It was difficult. There was bleeding and bruises. A few concussions. The glare of the ice has helped worsen my eyesight over the years. So much goes into the training and it's really hard to explain unless you've put on skates before and tried to simply glide from one side to the other."

"I _have_ ," said Jailyn. "It was a school thing. The idea was cool but my ankles were far too weak to handle it and I clung to the wall the whole time and was pretty much miserable. Also, the person trying to teach the class wasn't an actually registered instructor or anything so it wasn't like he could do much. I simply leave the skating to the people who can do it."

The other two women shrugged. "Never gave it much thought," Leeandrea murmured. "It's not a very popular sport if you don't mind the honesty."

"I know. That's a bit of a problem too," he admitted. "If we can get move viewers, that would be great. The pay alone could be better if more people invested time in watching. If you'd like to stay afloat as a competitive skater, you need to win gold or silver constantly and as often as possible. The pay is just better, and the reputation you get from holding those spots can help with sponsorships. Each sponsorship is different and the terms will never be the same for everyone."

Jailyn's head tilted. "My brother does College football for the Wolverines. He talks about this stuff sometimes. He wants to go NFL, but it's apparently an uphill climb in more ways than one."

"Sports in general can be a rigorous journey that takes a lot of dedication. If he wants to do national games, he's going to be working hard and needing support. Support is a must when pursuing any dream you have. Victor helped me realize that I have the support of not only my friends and family, but my entire town and even my country were supporting me. Support can mean everything."

It really did. Minako supported him even though he didn't keep to his dream of becoming a professional dancer. She wasn't angry or sad that he had switched focus onto something else. She stood there and supported him with all she had, taking up a position that wasn't required of her, all because she wanted to see him succeed.

Mari supported his love of skating and his admiration of Victor, even when it got a little out of hand. Even though she teased him over his small crush every now and then, she understood that seeing Victor was enough to inspire him to continue fighting, even when his body hurt and it seemed pointless to even try.

His parents didn't fully understand as neither had ever had a family member with big dreams for their futures. But just because they didn't know or understand as well as Minako did, didn't mean they weren't any less supportive of him and his endeavors. They were able to support him through love and monetary aid until he could start winning enough money so they didn't have to spend so much on a new pair of skates every year.

Support was such an important thing, and Victor's support meant the most. His idol/friend/crush told him that he was inspiring and that he cared about Yuuri whether Yuuri was a gold medalist or not. And he helped Yuuri realize that he wasn't alone in this and that all he had to do was lean on one of his precious people if he needed help.

Some dreams were too large to bear alone.

"Are there any YouTube videos of your competitions we can watch?"

He was driven from his thoughts by Haileigh, who had her cellphone out, looked at him expectantly.

Yuuri flushed, but typed in Yuuko's YouTube channel for her. Yuuko had all the videos of Yuuri. It was kind of embarrassing but also really sweet.

"You look good in blue," was the first thing he learned as they huddled around the small screen to watch the video.

Yuuri waited patiently as the music for his Short Program from 2008 came through the speakers. Good times.

* * *

"I want you to take a ten minute break," Celestino said as Yuuri stepped onto the carpeted floor, accepting a bottle of ice cold water from the man. "You've been getting better and better with your current routines, and I think your time at Junior Worlds will be your best performance so far. You still have time to build up to that."

Yuuri smiled, pleased to hear some praise. He'd applied himself diligently, and made sure to adhere to Victor's observations in order to make his routines the best they could be. Celestino seemed to think that they couldn't get any better than they already were, and therefore it was time for them to start planning for his Senior Debut.

Once his guards were on, Yuuri shuffled on over to a bench and plopped down, grabbing his phone. It was three in the afternoon on a Saturday. He didn't have classes at the studio on this day, which left him more time to train on the ice.

A Senior Debut had to have impact in those who watched it. It had to hold a message. One that said, 'I'm here and I'm ready'. One that told everyone that you were a threat and that they better not underestimate you. Yuuri was a bit older than normal to be starting in the Senior Division, but that didn't mean everyone was going to treat him with the respect of a fellow competitor. Four Quads under his belt or not.

He didn't really know what he was going to be doing, but he'd already started the search for music. His new iPod, courtesy of those lovely gift cards from Victor, had been filled with suggestion upon suggestion of albums from people in the skating club and the dancers in his classes. He had a lot to sort through, but he found himself drawn toward varying genres and singers, and wished the ISU would nix the no lyrics rule.

It also came to mind that he should share his growing list of songs with Victor so that he could enjoy them all too.

"Yuuri, time to get back on the ice," Celestino called from the gate.

Yuuri stood and put his phone in his bag. He'd make Victor a list when he had the time to do so. For now, he and Celestino were going to plot out his routines for next season.

Even if he had to ram it into someone's head, Yuuri was going to make sure that Victor Nikiforov was not the only person in the figure skating world to think of him as genuine competition. He would have nothing less.

* * *

 **Victor Nikiforov <victoristhekingoftheice******* . com> Today at                                 4:09 AM**  
**To:** Katsuki Yūri

 _Yuuri, I can't wait to see how you perform at Junior Worlds! Your friend Yuuko uploaded_  
_your programs from Junior Nationals and you did so well again! I'm so proud of you!_

 _I got a laugh out of your original Exhibition routine. And the comments were all positive_  
_on the video! Also, I can't believe I hadn't realized before, but your legs are really nice in_  
_that skirt. I don't know what you've been doing all your life, but keep doing it! People will_  
_be lining up outside your door soon enough! May you should wear heels and show your  
legs off!_

 _Also, I was a bit down after finding out that I guessed wrong, but then I thought of all the_  
_different types of dance there are and I realized how long this game can go on, and I didn't_  
_mind all that much. So my second guess is that you are taking Georgian Dance. It's_  
_intensive and I think you're Ballet history would help you a lot in the practice._

 _Yakov ended up giving me a week off for my birthday. I sat at home with Makka and I played_  
_video games and slept a lot. It was a lot more relaxing than it had the right to be, but I liked_  
_it. Do you like video games? And if so, would you recommend some for when I'm bored and_  
_trying to pass the time? Nothing with a lot of animals though. Makka gets jealous easily._

 _I did an interview too. It'll be published in On ICE! this coming April, and I can't wait for you_  
_to read it! I mentioned you in like every answer I had because I couldn't help myself. Somehow,_  
_things would be about me, and then I'd start talking about you. I hope you don't mind. ^-^_

 _Makka is doing well. She had to go to the vet for her yearly visit and someone has been getting_  
_spoiled a little too much. She is now on a diet until she loses at least 3 Kg. I swear I don't feed_  
_her too many times a day, but the vet swears she is perfectly healthy despite being a little_  
_overweight._

 _This just means we have to go on more morning runs than usual, so it's fine. Did you and your_  
_Victor ever go for morning runs?_

 _Lilia is pushing me really hard now that I've rejoined her lessons. She refuses to show any leniency_  
_because your former instructor is Okukawa Minako and that is a very big deal to Lilia. She says that_  
_if you could survive more than a decade under the teachings of such a dancer, then I should be_  
_able to handle two hours every other day._

 _She is ruthless, but I am happy with the results even if my body hurts all over. This will help me_  
_improve, so it's okay in the long run._

 _I have already chosen my music for next season and I can't wait to learn what you've chosen.  
_ _^-^_

 _Missing you!  
_ _Victor! XOXO_

* * *

**Pole Fitness: Bombshell Class:** Beginners Level 1

"Warming up against the pole is honestly the easiest part of the class," Yuuri murmured to himself. His right leg was extended above his head, laid out on the vertical pole. He was balanced on the ball of his left foot and his center was pressed snugly against the pole itself.

He'd already gotten over the teasing. After demonstrating his flexibility over and over, the girls eventually realized that he wasn't exactly affected by it because of his ballet experience. Also, Yuuri wasn't fragile in the sense that he thought he couldn't be seen doing what were typically considered feminine things. As a dancer of fourteen years, he wasn't easy to fluster in that regard.

Apparently, in America especially, masculinity was a very big deal. And because people were more vocal about their opinions in the west, everyone was aware of it no matter how hard some tried to hide their true feelings.

"It's everything that comes _after_ that's a bit difficult," he admitted to the woman nearest him. Her name was Giada. She'd been in the class for two weeks longer than him and was more familiar.

"It takes time," she told him, accent similar to Celestino's. He assumed she was Italian as well. "You are still new to the classes and the mindset you are trying to portray."

So very true. He didn't have to necessarily be 'sexy' unless he was doing a certain routine that required it, but he definitely had to be confident. Yuuri saw the way the others moved when he watched them in the mirror. Some had picked up the attitude that he was working hard to attain, while others did better technically.

It reminded him of figure skating. TES and PCS all over again. This time, Yuuri excelled at TES while his presentation was all over the place. He found that part to be ironic.

"Yuuri!"

He turned and found himself faced with the instructor, Ayesha.

"You said that your coach convinced you to perform in a few more competitions so you would go out of your Division in style, correct?"

"Yes."

"And you'll be gone for at least twenty days as you travel all over the world?"

"Yes."

Yuuri would be going to Belarus to compete in Junior Worlds at the end of February, and after that he would be flying to the Netherlands for the International Challenge Cup. Finally, he would finish off his last season as a Junior by competing in the Coupe de Printemp in Luxembourg.

The thing with being a Senior skater, was that there would be more competitions for him to compete at. Such as the Four Continents Championship. Celestino wanted him to get used to doing more than just those few competitions he'd been doing every year, because Senior skaters actually went through more intensive training and competing and often times there was not enough time for them to be home and relax.

Yuuri and Celestino had already worked out his class schedule and had collected the work that would be due, ahead of time. Yuuri was already starting to work on it so he could just hand it in before taking off for Europe, instead of having to worry about it before every competition and trying to find time for it all to get done.

"I'm going to assign you some homework while you're out and about competing, okay?" Ayesha said, resting her hand lightly on his shoulder. He nodded, knowing that essentially missing three weeks of classes wouldn't really be beneficial to him unless he did something to make up for it. "We'll talk after class."

When the class officially began, it was marked down as Yuuri's ninth class. They did the preliminary stretches first to make sure that everyone was properly stretched out. Then Ayesha lead them around the poles, practicing their walking. Four wide steps accompanied by swinging of the hips and walking on the balls of the feet, using only the pole for light stability.

They practiced with both hands until she deemed them all ready to continue, demonstrating the proper grip needed for the next few moves that basically centered around undulation and circling around the metal in some manner or another.

"Make sure you roll your shoulders until you feel comfortable holding the pole. Don't grip it too hard, but not too lightly either," Ayesha instructed, demonstrating for them. They all followed her movements by watching her back. "If there is a strain in your shoulder, adjust your hold until it feels fine. We aren't looking to dislocate anything."

She gave them a few seconds to check their posture, before continuing.

"Up on the balls of your feet and shoulders back! I want you to step forward with your inside foot first and give the motion your own twist. Don't just take four large steps around the pole. Get involved and wiggle or shake your hips and move your free arm or hand to give your dance its own flare. We aren't looking for dead limbs, those aren't something people will want to be watching. We want their attention and every move is supposed to seek and keep that.

"Right side first."

They rearranged themselves and as she began to count, they took their first step as one group, falling into the next right on time with the counting.

"Rotate."

Yuuri found himself falling to into the counts, back and forth. Getting more comfortable with the movements. While the other dancers moved their free hands over their hips, practically caressing themselves, Yuuri settled for what he knew. Artistic flaring of the arms. Touching himself the way his fellow classmates were wasn't something he was ready for yet. He'd get there, but not after only nine classes.

Ayesha gave constructive criticism when it was needed and praise when it was due. She admired Yuuri's arm movements, but told him that he needed to work on facial expressions, which he understood very well. It was just… how did he make himself look 'tempting'?

That fell into an area that he had no experience in, so he was a little skeptical. And it also meant he might have to do some studying in order to fully understand what was being asked of him. Thankfully - or not, it really depended - America was very open about things of the sexual nature and finding the information he wanted, would be a lot easier than if he was back in Japan. There was an Adult Shop five blocks from the campus.

But he was also scared of having to search. Yet he knew he'd have to do it at some point and putting it off for forever wouldn't do him any good.

"We'll begin practicing your Basic Fireman Spins now."

Yuuri could actually feel his excitement growing. He really liked some of the spins and holds. They looked good when paired with his flexibility.

* * *

Victor blinked, staring at the name that was on the screen of his laptop. _勝生 勇利 followed you Feb 18_.

He clicked on the name and found himself faced with his Yuuri's Twitter page. And it wasn't very old either.

**勝生 勇利**

**@Katsudon_Yūri**

I'm a competitive figure skater from Japan.  
Katsudon(pork cutlet bowl) is my favorite dish.  
I love poodles and have one named Vic-chan.  
This is my last Season as a Junior Skater.

_Michigan_

_Joined January 2012_

**6 Photos and Videos**

**Tweets**  
9

 **Following**  
6

 **Followers**  
788

 **Likes**  
36

Victor proceeded to go through the posts that Yuuri had made.

{ **@leean_drea** I don't know what I think about the movie, **#sorry**. It was okay.}

{We went out to Starbucks and then we saw a movie! **[PHOTO]** }

{I miss Vic-chan. :(}

{Exams are evil! **#ihateexams [PHOTO]** }

{ **@iceicebb** Thank you for your support! :3 **[PHOTO]** }

{My dorm has never looked so good. My friend Victor is the reason it looks so nice! :3 **[PHOTO]** }

{The rink is closed for the week for some reason. **[PHOTO] [PHOTO] #noskatingallowed #danceonlythisweek** }

{Hashtags are so difficult! **#whatdoido**?}

{This is going to be my Twitter account. I will admit to not knowing what to do.}

Yuuri only had his Twitter for a few weeks and he already was doing so well in terms of building himself a nice following. And it wasn't as if he did anything like go bungee jumping, he was just being himself. And people loved it. Only a little over a month and he was already doing so well!

Victor was proud.

It also meant that he was going to have to work on his own Twitter. Thankfully, Victor was way more interested in taking photos. It wouldn't take long.

But first, he had to follow Yuuri back.

* * *

 

**A/N: Another is done!**

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**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my many other YOI fics! ^-^


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The season ends and the summer begins! So ensues fluff, drama, and unfortunate circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Fluff and feels in that order.
> 
> -Victor gets into arts and crafts.
> 
> -I think we get Yuuri finally coming into himself. He's feeling a lot better about himself and it's because of his Pole Fitness class. The confidence is finally starting to build for him.
> 
> -VICTOR GETS A CLUE!
> 
> -I assume the ending is sad though not really tragic or anything. But it needs to happen and so does the drama that comes from it.
> 
> SIDE NOTE: Imagine, for a moment, Victor skating to Born This Way. Because I am and I like what I'm imagining.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Yuri!!! on Ice.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/). I FOLLOW BACK.**

****

**[Link to the DeviantArt Page.](http://whatthe18.deviantart.com/art/Correspondence-Cover-Art-673786996) **

* * *

{ **@Katsudon_Yūri** Do you want to come over to my house this summer?}

|

{ **@leean_drea** Sorry. I'm going back to Japan for a couple of weeks.}

||

{Fooey! Have fun anyway!}

|||

{I will! ^-^ Thanks!}

{ **@Katsudon_Yūri** Will you be doing any more Ice Shows soon?}

|

{Hmm... I haven't thought about it. Who knows what could happen?}

||

{OMG! Thanks for responding! :3 :3 :3}

{ **@Виктор_Nikiforov_OnICE!** I'm leaving in early June.}

|

{Okay! It's best to know now. Also, my name looks kind of ridiculous now that I'm seeing it.}

||

{Just a bit. ^-^}

|||

{I will fix it soon!}

{Victor and Yuuri are such good friends, I'm dead! **#dyingaswespeak** }

{ **@iceicebb** We should make a banner for **@Katsudon_Yūri** when he reaches 10K followers, right?}

|

{Yeah! I am right there with you! I can manip pretty well.}

||

{Cool!}

|||

{ **@iceicebb** and **@marvelseductress** I would use it with your permission?}

||||

{OMMFG YES ANY TIME!}

|||||

{ **#Yaaaaaassssssss** }

* * *

 **To: victoristhekingoftheice******** . com                        Today at 2:09 PM**  
**I'm Officially No Longer a Junior!**

_Was it this emotional for you when you finally decided that you were done_   
_with the Junior Division? I mean, you became a Senior long before me, but_   
_you can never be sure with how good some people can be at acting. We all_   
_don't have the same experiences, so I was just curious about your take on_   
_making the change. Am I just being too emotional or is it fine to be a bit…_   
_scared? And the thing is, I don't even know what I am scared of, but I can_   
_feel that annoying coldness inside and I don't like it. It makes me feel ill._

_Celestino had been amping up my practices over the past few months,_   
_making sure I get in more experience that would be expected of a Senior,_   
_even if I wasn't one yet. And while I'm not used to all of his particular_   
_training methods, it's not as bad as it used to be. Also, because I have_   
_dance classes that are 'hard as hell'(that means really difficult) he lets me_   
_skate every other day. Also, my class schedule allows me to have Saturdays_   
_and Sundays as free time, which I usually use for rest and school work._

_I've noticed a very distinctive difference in my skating thanks to my dance_   
_class! And I am happy to tell you that you guessed wrong once again. Georgian_   
_Dance was something I had to actually research to even get an idea of what it_   
_was, but it looks incredibly interesting! Once I'm done with the current dance_   
_class I'm in, I've decided that I'm doing to take classes in Georgian Dance! It_   
_looks like it'll take a lot of athleticism and stamina, which are things I have in_   
_abundance! And then I can show you that I can do all those moves too!_

_Thank you for the idea! You'll have to give another guess for my current_   
_class though. ^-^ I really don't think you'll ever guess it, sorry._

_I'm in the Third Level of the class now. When I got back from Junior Worlds,_   
_my instructor put me through an exam. Almost all of my former classmates_   
_had advanced to the next level during my absence, but as I kept up with my_   
_training while away at competition, I was able to join them. Level 3 comes_   
_with an additional thirty seconds of a routine we have to choreograph for_   
_ourselves, but I think it'll be fun to test our limits! I am now Intermediate_   
_status!_

_I haven't been ignoring my gym membership either. I actually need to spend_   
_a certain amount of time every other day, on weight lifting and core building._   
_While I am relatively strong thanks to figure skating, my dance class requires_   
_more types of fitness and if I want to be able to do what the experts do, I_   
_need to work more diligently. My instructor has given me some advice on_   
_proper workout routines. I am also thinking of doing yoga once a week, if my_   
_time will permit it._

_Onto other subjects, I was happy that you finally got a Twitter acct and that_   
_I was the first person that you followed! Thank you! I know I'm not very_   
_interesting, nor am I that good at pretending to be interesting, but I'm trying_   
_to keep up my end of the contract with Asahi by interacting with fans and_   
_being nice. I was even given some advice from my fellow classmates in the_   
_studio on how to post properly and at least make it look like I'm doing_   
_interesting things, even if I'm not._

_The above advice was helpful, but I usually end up doing something anyway_   
_just so I don't feel disingenuous. I've ended up going to see five different films._   
_One of them I even went to see twice because it was that well directed. I've_   
_gone bowling, been roller skating, and even went to an arcade with Jailyn_   
_and Leeandrea where I learned about skee-ball which is really fun!_

_Does Coach Yakov have you do compulsory figures when you get too worked_   
_up? Celestino seems to think that they help me calm down so I end up doing_   
_repetitions for several minutes. Something about me dedicating a lot of time_   
_of my life to my performance and spending months upon months of_   
_familiarizing myself with the subtle nuances of the blades against the ice._   
_So he equates it to breathing for me._

_It got a bit confusing after that when he started using English words I'm not_   
_familiar with. However the general idea is there well enough. My presentation_   
_is high because I dedicated more time to PCS than to my TES. Only recently_   
_have I started upping my TES training, but in doing so, it's made me a little_   
_anxious because falling in front of audiences like I used to, has always been_   
_my fear. It also hurts and tends to make any dance practice more painful_   
_in the following days, which has my anxiety rearing its head more often_   
_than I would prefer._

_I used to fall all the time and being able to do Triple jumps had been a big_   
_deal for me, and took seven years of building up to. When we officially met,_   
_I decided that I wanted to take it a step further if I was going to surprise you_   
_just as much as you surprise me. I've always wanted to be good competition_   
_for you and I realized that it was time to start Quads. After all, Seniors_   
_younger than me have started Quads earlier than me, so there was no_   
_excuse for me to not start._

_Your coach made you wait until your first competition as a Senior before you_   
_could officially use a Quad in a routine, but you'd been landing Quad Toe_   
_Loops two years before then. I remember your warm up back in France in_   
_2005 and how you surprised the judges and your fellow skaters by doing a_   
_Quad-Triple combo._

_Did you know that I actually keep a chart to compare with? Things you've_   
_mastered and when you mastered them, versus me with what I've mastered_   
_and when I've mastered them. It helped me mark my progress over the_   
_years. I took a look at it the other day because I hadn't updated it in a while_   
_and I was astonished to see the growth in both of us as I updated the facts._

_A lot has changed in the past almost three years, and I honestly don't think_   
_I would be where I am without you, so thank you. Thank you for being there_   
_and for getting involved in my life when you didn't have to. It means a lot and_   
_it makes me giddy when I think about it. And I know that I say 'thank you'_   
_too often, but it's so difficult to not be grateful._

_I miss seeing you and Vic-chan. I will be going home for a week or three come_   
_June, to see Vic-chan. There, I can make digital photo album full of Vic-chan and_   
_I that I can send to you. And now that I have a better mobile phone, I can take_   
_better photos so you'll see more of Hasetsu and maybe even the castle! I can tell_   
_you about everything and maybe one day you can visit us, yourself._

_In fact, I am happy to be going home this summer just so I can do that! Then I_   
_can show you all my favorite places, as well as keep up with my contract with_   
_Asahi. And I should probably notify them that I'll be around for awhile in case_   
_they want to set something up. Being bombarded suddenly back in December_   
_was more troublesome than I had first thought._

_And I'll have you know that I have to wear heels in my dance classes, and_   
_that's the only hint you're getting. Make of that what you will. Though working_   
_in heels helps burn calories faster if you were curious. I might make more of a_   
_habit of it, but I'll probably use more secure heels so I don't feel like my ankles_   
_are going to break at any second? I don't know yet but if I make a decision,_   
_I'll let you know._

_Talk to you soon!_   
_Yuuri! ^-^ :3_

* * *

**Pole Fitness: Temptress Class: Intermediate Level 1**

"Class, it's good to see you all looking so fit."

The greeting was returned ten fold as the pupils took their places beside each pole. Ayesha smiled and got into position beside her own pole, facing the class. Slowly and carefully, she lead them through a few warm up stretches and spins just to be sure everyone was ready.

"This is the class where we begin Intermediate moves. I decided that we are going to work on our basic Handstand Pose today. I want you to be able to trust the pole to hold you and we're also going to see if you can handle this yet. Our work thus far has hopefully prepared you and as your weight will be propped against the pole in the beginning, the chances of you being unable to handle this are very slim."

Ayesha proceeded to kneel on the floor, placing both hands in front of her pole. They mimicked her immediately, eyes trained on her position.

"Your hands must form a triangle with the pole," Ayesha said. "Try to keep them and the pole an equal distance from each other. I do roughly a foot or a little more depending on how I'm feeling. So place your hands down like so and watch how your wrists bend. If it is uncomfortable for you, try to position your hands, still the same distance apart, in a way that doesn't discomfort you."

Yuuri did as instructed, trying to align his hands in the way that she described. Fingers were spread wide and wrists around a ninety degree angle. Slowly, they all stood until they were doing a floor touch instead of a toe touch.

"You are going to be using your abdominal muscles here, focusing your strength in your core. As you lean forward, so the back of your neck and the space between your shoulder blades touch the pole, you will start to fold in half even further. Your hips needs to be pushing outward while you move to the balls of your feet and change your center of gravity. From there, while leaning only slightly on the pole, you will lift your legs slowly in a straddle position until they come together at the top. Take your time with this maneuver and do not try to rush it. Trust the pole and yourself," Ayesha explained until her body was upside down, toes pointed at the ceiling and calves crossed slightly around the pole to keep a good grip. She held position for them for five seconds, before dismounting slowly.

"Try it for yourselves."

Yuuri was able to get it a bit faster thanks to the need to strengthen his core for figure skating. His legs swung up with almost perfect ease and he slowly wrapped his calves around the pole and held position for five seconds like the instructor did, before lowering himself back to the floor.

"Nice form, Yuuri," he was told, which made him grin. "I want you to practice it until you don't need to lean against the pole while lifting your legs, got it?"

He gave a sharp nod. "Hai."

Sometimes Yuuri used to wonder if he was unnaturally limber, but then he thought about the things he could do that other couldn't, even in his profession, and he realized that he didn't care if it was unnatural. It was fun, and it made him feel... amazing. To see his reflection and watch as his body contorted into shapes and positions that other couldn't do naturally, made him feel good about himself.

And he got there with hard work and effort. He looked this amazing because he kept trying in all of his training. He didn't give up. It was empowering in a way and it made him feel great about himself. Something he wasn't used to. It was nice to feel like he had the power for once and wondered if this was how Victor felt all the time. And if so, he could understand why Victor so confident.

He liked it.

"Jailyn, you're not rotating your pelvis the way your need to."

Jailyn's aggravated sigh rang through the room and Yuuri bit his tongue. Perhaps he could help her later on? She seemed to be approaching from a normal handstand mindset. As if she was doing it against a wall. Most people just brought their legs up. The straddle positioning of the legs wasn't required in normal handstands. It was just a variation some chose to use.

"Giada, I'm liking your attitude. Everyone, try to adopt a fierce persona while your practice. Act as if nothing could ever stop you. Even if your form isn't perfect, attitude is a big factor in a everyone into thinking you are the best even if you aren't."

Yuuri shook his shoulders out and took a deep breath, ready to try once more. Powerful. In control. Confident.

He could do this.

* * *

Victor smiled and took another photo of his precious Makka, which took away from the slight pain in his foot. Since Yuuri planned to go home and make him a collection of photos about him and his poodle, Victor thought it would be a good idea to 'scrapbook' stuff with him and Makka! And also keep his attention on something else for now until he could find out what was wrong, but that was for later.

Of course he'd never done it before and standing in the crafts aisle while trying to understand which stickers were best and which cardstock would go better, was confusing. Thankfully, a woman who was also in the aisle, had a lot to say and gave him a very detailed explanation and also gave him a link to a forum she was a member, or that dealt with arts and crafts.

He went home and immediately looked it up, finding all manner of information and examples. Videos to watch and How To lists to read. Never did Victor think he would be making a decorative photo album, but he found himself really getting into it! Especially with his very liberal use of glitter and rhinestones!

"Makka, we're going to make Yuuri a present!" he told his poodle while squirting some black, non-toxic acrylic paint into a plastic plate. Holding the table for balance, he knelt to put the plate down. Makka gave a bark in return while Victor placed the white paper he intended to use on his recently swept floor. "Come, Makka!"

Eager, the overgrown pup shuffled forward. "Can you give me your paw?"

The right paw was given. Quickly, Victor dipped it in the paint and gently guided Makka's paw down onto the paper a few times, leaving Makka sized paw-prints behind!

"Good girl!"

The wildly thumping tail made him smile.

"You get a treat and a bath!"

_Woof!_

Bath day was always a fun day! And it usually ended with both of them soaked and Victor getting an unexpected bath of his own.

Meanwhile, the paper would dry and then he could use it in his scrapbook. And he could only wonder what Yuuri's opinion of it would be. After all, his Makka had adorable paw-prints, if Victor was being honest. Surely Yuuri would be impressed by her cuteness.

Now all he had to do was scrub her clean and blow her dry meticulously.

And maybe take a pain reliever for his foot, he thought while pulling himself back to his feet.

* * *

 **Victor Nikiforov <victoristhekingoftheice******* . com>            Today at 8:31 PM  
****To:** Katsuki Yūri

_I don't know how to warn you ahead of time, but there should be a package_   
_waiting for you when you finally return to Japan. It'll be in a white box and will_   
_be more than 3 kg in weight. There was no way to make it lighter because I_   
_was worried about the object itself and ended up wrapping it in a shirt that I_   
_bought for you, as well as those Styrofoam packaging things you add to protect_   
_your possessions._

_This gift is from both Makka and I, and I can't wait for you to open it and fawn_   
_over it! It took some time, but I found a nice group of people online who taught_   
_me how to do it on my own and I'm really proud! And the for the shirt, I bought_   
_the shirt but did the design with Makka's help. And I know it might seem a bit_   
_too annoying, but could you please take a photo for us then post it for everyone_   
_to see. I want to see how good it looks on you!_

_Yakov is becoming even more troublesome than normal. He's taken to preparing_   
_for his summer camp ahead of time, leaving Georgi and I to handle ourselves_   
_more often than not. I had assumed this would mean more time to work on_   
_my next Exhibition routine, but Yakov found out that I wasn't practicing my spins_   
_and now I've been punished and forced to do compulsory figures for the next four_   
_days! Life isn't fair! Also, Yakov uses compulsory figures as punishments, not as a_   
_way to calm us down. He's more evil that way._

_I decided to follow my friend Christophe because his Twitter is active all the time,_   
_and I think you should check it out for yourself! He's always doing such interesting_   
_things and he posts things called 'memes'. They're so funny and I don't know_   
_where he finds them! But I think they could help you better understand Americans_   
_since they always have American slang in them._

_Chris' Twitter account is **Chris_GC(O-O)**. No, I do not understand why he chose_   
_that of all names, but it is definitely him! Ad if you're ever confused by fan accounts_   
_Chris' is pretty sexual._

_As for leaving the Junior Division, it is a big step even if others wouldn't consider it_   
_so. We dedicated a certain amount of our lives to following a specific set of rules and_   
_now it's as if you are graduating. You've proven that you are ready for a more_   
_difficult workload and that you deserve to advance. Add on the fact that you had_   
_to move across the world all to further your career, and you are going through a_   
_lot more stress than I did. I stayed in the same rink and had the same coach for_   
_the past twelve years._

_So no, unfortunately I was not as affected as you are. I was simply glad that I_   
_could prove all the Seniors who had been mocking me, wrong. And now look at_   
_me, Yuuri. With your help, I have managed to somehow attain World Champion_   
_status earlier than I had planned. All because I wanted to impress you. You make_   
_me want to get better, because in all honesty, I want to be the best kind of_   
_competition you deserve. While I have been skating against the others for far_   
_longer than I've known you, only you interest me enough for me to get truly_   
_competitive._

_I can't wait for us to battle it out on the ice in the upcoming season! I chose_   
_my music for next season already! But I plan to keep the songs secret because_   
_I think you'll really like them and I want it to be a surprise! I want you to keep_   
_yours a surprise as well. I really think you'd been impressed with my plans for my_   
_Exhibition! I can't wait to see yours too!_

_As for your dance class, you wear heeled shoes? Is it to strengthen your legs_   
_faster? And do you even realize just how many styles of dance have their_   
_dancers wearing such shoes? Though this can lower the number I suppose, but_   
_I'm more interested in seeing what you look like in high heeled shoes._

_I won't give up the game!_

_My next guess is Salsa? I draw inspiration from that type of dance and it's fun!_   
_I could teach you the basics the next time we see one another if it ins't the class_   
_you're currently taking._

_Can't wait to see you!_   
_Victor! XOXOXOXOXOXO_

* * *

Yuuri allowed his sister to wrap her arms around him. While not big on hugs, he hadn't seen his family in what felt like forever. Even if it had been back around Nationals, he'd been so busy with Asahi and such that he hadn't gotten to enjoy his entire time home.

"I hadn't noticed when you came home last time, but you're a lot more muscled than I ever imagined you would be," Mari said, gripping his arms a bit tighter to verify her thoughts for herself. "Yeah, you've been doing more than skating, haven't you?"

He twitched a little. "I enrolled in a dance class and it requires some upper body strength. My legs are useless if I can't do some of the moves I need only my arms for. So I've been going to the gym constantly and I feel a lot stronger even if it's not noticeable when you look at me."

There was a moment where she just stared him down, making him feel a little cornered, but she simply shrugged and pulled away. "Your time in America in just these past nine months seems to have changed you a little. You're more open with your words and you didn't stiffen when I hugged you. It's good to see you maturing and opening up the way _you_ need to."

Mari proceeded to pull out a cigarette and light it. "Vic-chan was missing you, so don't forget to spend some time with him while you're here. And Minako-sensei will be excited to see you again. She's been talking about drills, so I hope that class you've been taking has kept you up on your practice."

He almost winced. Minako-sensei was understanding and kind, but she had been his instructor for years and would want to make certain with her own eyes that he wasn't slacking. She approved of hard work and dedication and he didn't want to disappoint. Even if he had to tell her about the type of class he was taking.

She would certainly be less embarrassing about it than his mother. Right?

"Also, a package arrived two days ago with your name on it. I assume it's from Victor Nikiforov since there was a lot of Russian words I couldn't understand. I put it on your bed."

"Thanks nee-chan."

Yuuri slipped through the front room, greeting his mother with a hug and agreeing to a bowl of katsudon. After the last few competitions he'd been in where he'd won gold, he had racked up four bowls that he was allowed to have while home. Celestino said that he would message Minako to make sure that he had spaced out his consumption through the two weeks.

On his bed was the box Victor had said he would send. It was rather large and he couldn't fathom what would be inside it. Victor had mentioned wrapping the item in a shirt just in case.

Using his keys, he cut through the tape easily, shaking his head at how hard Victor had worked to keep whatever was inside, safe. Three layers of tape. He was friends with a 'dork'.

When Yuuri laid eyes on the photo album for the first time, he'd gaped and stared for the better art of a minute. After all, this was much different than a simple frame that he'd gotten from Victor two years ago. This was a lot more.

Gently, Yuuri placed the shirt to the side, which was covered in paw-prints, and gave the book his full attention. On the cover was a photo of both Victor and Makka, cuddling and smiling for the camera. The book was blue with a lot of sparkles, which made him smile. Victor had been mindful of his favorite color while working toward his own favorite decorations.

Various photos of Victor and Makka from years back. When Victor was much younger and Makka was just a puppy. It was like a treasure trove of Victor Nikiforov history.

And his favorite part, was the quote Victor had written at the very end.

 

 

> _I was in New York City last year, in time to view this show in person.  
>  __The speech it came from was amazing, and this quote still touches me.  
>  __I hope it touches you and gives you the same security I felt._  
>  _This is one woman I will look up to and I hope I can skate to her music one day.-V_

" **Tonight, I want you to forget all of your insecurities. I want you to reject**  
**anyone or anything that's ever made you feel like you don't belong. Or don't**  
**fit in. Or made you feel like you're not good enough, or pretty enough, or thin**  
**enough, or can't sing well enough, or dance well enough, or write a song well**  
**enough, or that you'll never win a Grammy, or you'll never sell out Madison**  
**Square Garden! You just remember that you're a god damn superstar and**  
**you were Born This Way!**

 **[...] I would dream that someday, one person would believe in me. So when**  
**you leave here tonight, know that at least one person believes in you.** "

**~Stefani Germanotta (A.K.A. Lady Gaga)**

It was touching in an unexpected way. And if Victor looked up to the singer, than Yuuri obviously had to check her out.

* * *

June was a rather warm month and Victor knew that it was officially time for him to move on to shorts and thin shirts. Yet at the same time he needed to at least wear trousers for the rink because it was still chilly inside the rink and the legs of the trousers served to protect the legs should he fall, though he rarely fell to begin with. The fall from a month ago was buried deep in the recesses of his mind and would be forgotten eventually once his foot stopping hurting now and then.

He'd worn a different pair of shoes and he didn't actually run this time because he'd been having that annoying pain in his right foot. He had put ice on it the night before and had certainly felt better after some pain relievers, but he just didn't want to worry anyone with his problems. Yakov would probably blow the entire thing out of proportion anyhow and if anyone thought Victor came with his dramatics all on his own, they clearly didn't know his beloved coach of many years.

When Victor finally got to the rink that morning, he found Yakov standing at the barrier while he shouted instructions at a young, redheaded girl who was gliding backward carefully, a look of deep concentration on her face. And when Victor stopped at Yakov's side, the man spared him the smallest of glances and murmured something about the girl being a new rinkmate for Victor and Georgi.

Victor went to put his skates on, one eye practically stuck on the little girl's form as she came to a stop a few feet from Yakov who was stone-faced as per usual.

"You stood out in the summer camp and I can understand why," said Yakov after what seemed like minutes. A compliment if there ever was one. "Go introduce yourself."

The girl brightened and turned, skating over to Victor's side of the rink, where Georgi had also decided to take his place in. Victor was half way through lacing up his second skate by that time.

"My name is Mila Babicheva, I'm twelve years old, and I intend to be the best of the Ladies Singles in the whole world!" she said, blue eyes wide and a little charming if Victor was going to be honest.

She was adorable.

Georgi took the chance to introduce himself and then Victor did so as well, throwing in a wink for good measure.

"You're friends with Katsuki Yuuri, right?" the girl asked after a moment, which had both Georgi and Victor blanking on what to say.

Eventually, Victor gave a small nod.

"He's the best!" the girl exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. "I love his performances and I'm rooting for him more than anyone else! Sorry, but he's my favorite! There's just something about him that I can't help but admire, you know?"

Maybe people would expect him to be jealous that one of his fellow countryman was supporting a non-Russian figure skater, but this was Yuuri! He adored the very ground Yuuri walked on and of course he supported Yuuri as well! While Victor wanted very badly to win just like all his fellow skaters, he was also rooting for Yuuri to win. But he wouldn't make it easy on the other of course. Cheating him out of a honest win was deplorable.

And in truth, Victor could perfectly understand the girl's words. Something about Yuuri was inspiring and beautiful and it wasn't just his skating.

"Yuuri is my favorite too!" he admitted, enjoying how she squealed. "He's a great person!"

"I can tell!" she giggled. "He's your boyfriend, right? That's why you're so cute with each other?"

Something clicked when Mila said those words. Something that Victor hadn't even considered before, but now that the words had been uttered, the idea could not be bleached from his mind. Because her words held a sort of truth even if they _weren't_ true. There was just a feeling that they gave him, that rang of truth down to his very bones.

Victor thought Yuuri was attractive and cute. He admired the other for many reasons, most of them being work ethic and skill, and then attitude and character. He always thought about Yuuri and always ended up bringing him into any conversation no matter what. Enough to annoy his fellows at the rink.

But they weren't dating.

Yet he would admit to himself that the thought was nice. He would love to be in a relationship with Yuuri. Then he could tell all the tabloids and journalists that perpetually bothered him, that Yuuri and he were together, and everyone in the figure skating world would know about it and see how cute they were together. And then they could go and do couple things and hold hands! And he could hug Yuuri even more!

But Yuuri was only eighteen and he was just discovering his sexuality. He'd never done anything romantic or sexual before and Victor wasn't sure of the other's feelings on the matter. He knew Yuuri admired him and idolized him for a while, but that didn't translate into romantic feelings or anything. It didn't even mean sexual interest.

Things were suddenly a lot more complicated than they had a right to be.

"Yuuri and I aren't together like that, Mila."

Her blue eyes widened. "B-but you're so cute together."

He shook his head forlornly. "I hadn't even thought about that kind of thing before, Mila. I'm sorry."

She sighed, looking disappointed. However, her excitement seemed to come back two fold and her eyes sparkled. "It's fine. You'll just have to go and woo him now! I can help with that!"

Victor Nikiforov wooing Katsuki Yuuri? Victor, who had never had to do the wooing before, actually trying to win the affections of his best friend and then they could date and be together more often and do cute couple things together and walk their beloved poodles!

YES!

Victor clasped Mila's hands and gave her a beaming grin. "Mila, I like the way you think!"

The girl nodded sagely. "It's because I'm a genius."

No one would find Victor making any complaints over the new addition to their rink. After all, Mila's devious mind was a perfect compliment to Victor's madness. They would be great friends.

* * *

Yuuri was staring one of Japan's best Ice Dancers in the eye, and didn't really know what he was supposed to say. He hadn't expected to be meeting any other 'famous athletes' when he'd come into the main Asahi building that morning. Though it wasn't as if he needed to know everything that was about to go down. Only the parts he was involved in really. This was probably one of those situations in which Celestino insisted he would eventually need a publicist to fill him in in better detail.

The Ice Dancer's name was Aoba Rin and she was chosen to be his partner in a sense, for the day's photo shoot. They wouldn't be posing together or anything, according to the photographer, but they would be taking turns in terms of the photoshoots themselves. So while one was posing, the other would be sitting by awaiting their own turn.

He didn't know how to react and simply shook her hand. She was two years older than he, and had been Ice Dancing for years. In all accounts, she was a better skater than he, even if they didn't exactly have the same training or techniques. She certainly won more gold than he did.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she had told him with a calm smile. "I have watched your performances and they are so inspiring. They make me want to get up and skate my feelings out."

" _You're_ the one who's inspiring," he insisted, feeling a bit uncomfortable that someone infinitely more influential than he had focused that much attention on him. "There was a time when the media seemed completely confident that you wouldn't be able to skate after what happened to your foot, but you came back and proved them all wrong. That's more inspiring to me."

A blush was his response as she ducked her head and murmured her gratitude. Off to the side, he could see Minako-sensei watching them curiously, though she didn't attempt to come over and say anything. He didn't understand why she was smiling though.

"Katsuki-san, could you come over here so that we can touch up your make up?" someone asked him. He'd yet to learn the man's name, but he nodded swiftly and excused himself from Rin's immediately company.

He couldn't get Minako's odd grin out of his mind for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Yuuri."

It had been whispered and almost heartbroken. He'd looked up from his manga, to find his mother standing in the doorway. She looked absolutely terrified and he sat up quickly, worried and hoping that she was well.

"Yuuri, you need to check on your friend, Vic-chan," she told him, stepping closer in order to put a hand on his shoulder. "There was something on the news about him and it doesn't look good."

Yuuri dove for his laptop and proceeded to search Victor's name. The answer he was looking for, came easily, right at the very top of the page. And it turned his insides into a black hole.

**Metatarsal Stress Fractures Remove Russia's Ace from the Figure Skating Scene for the Next Four Months!**

**Victor Nikiforov Unable to Compete in the 2012-13 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Circuit!**

**World Champion Figure Skater Won't be Competing During the First Half of Next Season**

**Injury Removes Nikiforov's chance at a Third Consecutive Grand Prix Final Gold!**

**Will the Living Legend of Figure Skating Become A Thing of History?**

**Will Nikiforov's Injury Give a Cheap Victory to His Former GP Competition?**

His mother's silent presence was enough to keep him relatively sane of mind. But this wasn't about him. Yuuri needed to message his friend.

 

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHECK OUT MY MANY OTHER YOI FICS! ^-^

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my many other YOI fics!


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